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Astronomy  and  the  Bible 


Lick  OBbEk\  aiory.  Mount  Hamilton,  California 


ASTRONOMY 
and  the  BIBLE 


THE  EMPIRE  OF  CREATION  SEEN  IN 

THE  DUAL  LIGHT  OF  SCIENCE  AND 

THE  WORD 


7 

LUCAS  A.  REED,  M.  S. 


"Teach  me  your  mood,  O  patient  stars. 

Who  climb  each  night  the  ancient  sky. 
Leaving  on  space  no  shade,  no  scars. 
No  trace  of  age,  no  fear  to  die." 


PACIFIC    PRESS    PUBLISHING   ASSN., 
Mountain  View,  Cal. 

Kansas  City,  Mo.  Portland,  Ore.  Brookfield,  111. 

St.  Paul,  Minn.  Cristobal,  Canal  Zone 

Calgary,  Alberta,  Canada 


Copyright  1919,  by 
Pacific  Press  Publishing  Association 


Preface 

The  writer  of  the  following  pages,  throughout  his 
active  life,  has  been  a  close  student  of  nature,  and  the 
starry  universe  all  about  us  has  had  its  full  share  of 
his  attention.  He  has  gathered  a  fine  assemblage  of 
most  entertaining  facts ;  and  the  reader,  whether  a  be- 
liever in  the  Bible  or  not,  will  be  interested  in  observing 
that  the  astronomy  of  the  Bible  is  far  in  advance  of  the 
time  in  which  it  was  written,  for  only  after  some  of  the 
latest  research  with  telescope,  spectroscope,  and  camera, 
have  seemingly  obscure  and  meaningless  passages  of 
the  Bible  been  understood. 

Dr.  Reed  has  been  a  popular  writer  for  magazines, 
as  well  as  of  books ;  and  one  of  his  major  themes  has 
been  the  astronomy  of  the  Bible.  The  popularity  of  his 
astronomy  magazine  articles,  and  the  urgent  demand 
that  many  of  them  be  printed  over  and  over  again,  has 
led  to  the  preparation  of  this  book. 

Vibrant  in  the  pages  that  follow  is  the  sentiment  of 
the  inspired  poet  that  "the  heavens  declare  the  glory 
of  God;  and  the  firmament  showeth  His  handiwork. 
Day  unto  day  uttereth  speech,  and  night  unto  night 
showeth  knowledge.  There  is  no  speech  nor  language ; 
their  voice  is  not  heard.  Their  line  is  gone  out  through 
all  the  earth,  and  their  words  to  the  end  of  the  world. 
In  them  hath  He  set  a  tabernacle  for  the  sun."  Ps. 
19:1-4. 

The  invisible  God,  whose  glory  is  too  bright  for  sin- 
ful, weakened  mortal  eye,  may  be  clearly  seen  through 

7 


8  PREFACE 

the  things  He  has  made ;  for  the  apostle  is  bold  to  de- 
clare that  "that  which  is  known  of  God  is  manifest  in 
them;  for  God  manifested  it  unto  them.  For  the  in- 
visible things  of  Him  since  the  creation  of  the  world 
are  clearly  seen,  being  perceived  through  the  things 
that  are  made,  even  His  everlasting  power  and  divin- 
ity."   Rom.  1 :  19,  20. 

The  universe  is  not  a  mere  jumble  of  suns  and 
worlds,  a  freak  of  chance  operating  blindly  through  the 
undirected  laws  of  nature ;  neither  are  some  of  the  suns 
and  worlds  about  us  "young"  and  growing  toward  the 
strength  of  manhood  life  and  power,  while  others  arc 
"old"  and  waxing  to  decay;  but  the  omnipotent  hand 
of  God  is  behind  all  of  His  works,  and  His  infinite  in- 
telligence is  directing  every  star  and  world  and  all  of 
the  forces  of  nature  in  earth  and  sea  and  sky. 

The  marshaling  of  the  facts  and  of  the  scriptures 
which  show  that  God  is  intelligently,  actively,  and  lov- 
ingly at  work  through  all  of  the  operations  of  nature, 
will  be  found  a  constant  delight,  inspiration,  and  satis- 
faction to  the  reader.  God  so  loves  us  that  He  seeks 
to  touch  us  through  many  avenues.  H  He  is  not  able 
to  appeal  to  us  through  His  written  Word,  He  thea 
appeals  through  the  forces  of  nature.  He  speaks  to  us 
by  means  of  sun  and  moon  and  all  the  retinue  of  celes- 
tial orbs,  so  that  He  may  lead  us  to  touch  and  to  know 
His  invisible  presence  through  His  visible  creation. 

One  cannot  fail  to  be  impressed  with  the  truth  and 
the  dependableness  of  the  infinite  Creator  as  he  beholds 
His  handiwork  in  the  numberless  stars  and  the  orderly 
movement  of  all  the  stellar  worlds.    The  joys  and  the 


PREFACE  9 

soul  rest  that  come  through  actually  knowing  God  and 
being  in  touch  with  Him  by  a  living  experience  are 
beyond  our  powers  to  describe,  but  nevertheless  we 
may  know  them  and  find  perfect  rest  under  the  ever 
pervading  shadow  of  the  Almighty. 

That  those  who  do  know  God  may  have  their  ap- 
preciation of  Him  intensified,  and  that  those  who  do 
not  know  Him  may  be  introduced  to  Him  through  the 
pages  that  follow,  is  the  earnest  wish  of 

The  Publishers. 


Contents 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I  Astronomy  and  the  Bible  -  -        17 

II  Astronomy  and  Faith          -  -  24 

III  Science  and  the  Bible    -  -  -       31 

IV  The  Atmospheric  Heavens  -  41 

V  The  Power  of  Gravitation  -  -        53 

VI  The  Transfer  of  Energy    -  -  63 

VII  The  Center  of  the  Universe  -       75 

VIII  The  Earth  in  Space            -  -  81 

IX  The  Impress  of  Light     -  -  -       87 

X  Celestial  Magnitudes          -  -  105 

XI  The  Infinitude  of  Space  -  -      122 

XII  As  THE  Moon      _         .         -  -  127 

XIII  Stars  Innumerable          -  -  -      133 

XIV  The  Fixed  Stars          _         _  _  143 

XV  The  Bands  of  Orion        -  -  -      159 

XVI  Arcturus  with  His  Sons     -  -          170 

XVII  The  Gospel  of  Despair    -  -  -      177 

XVIII  Difference  in  Glory    -         -  -          186 

XIX  The  Vastness  of  His  Power  -  -      200 

XX  His  Definite  Foreknowledge  -          207 

XXI  The  Clock  of  the  Universe  -  -     215 

XXII  God's  Dwelling  Place,  Where?  -          223 

XXIII  The  Open  Space  in  Orion  -  -     236 

XXIV  Rolled  Together  as  a  Scroll  -          258 


Illustrations 

Lick  Observatory,  Mount  Hamilton,  Cal.,  Frontispiece 

OPPOSITE  PAGE 

Omega  Centauri         __--_--  i6 

The  Head  of  a  Comet     ------  17 

The  Southern  Cross           ------  32 

Yerkes  Observatory,  Lake  Geneva,  Wisconsin        -  33 

A  Peculiar  Nebular  Formation  in  Cygnus        -         -  48 

Region  of  the  North  American  Nebula          -         -  49 

The  Land  of  the  Midnight  Sun          -         _         -         -  64 

A  Typical  Sun  Spot  —  Highly  Magnified      -         -  65 

Nebula  in  Triangulum      ------  80 

The  Andromeda  Nebula  ------  81 

Eclipse  of  the  Sun     -------  96 

The  Cold  Atmosphere  of  Winter    -         -         -         -  97 

At  the  Eyepiece  of  a  Large  Telescop;-:         -         -         -  112 

A  Segment  of  the  Corona  of  the  Sun     -         -         -  113 

The  Moon  in  the  Eighteen-Day  Phase     -         -         -  128 

Halley's  Comet,  as  Seen  in  the  Early  Morning      -  129 

Great  Star  Cloud  in  Sagittarius        _         -         -         -  144 

Region  of  the  Great  Nebula  of  Rho  Ophiuchi       -  145 
Motion  of  Arcturus  -         -         -         -         -         -         -150 

Brooks's  Comet  as  Seen  Just  Before  Dawn    -         -  160 

The  Constellation  Pleiades,  Showing  Nebulosity       -  161 

Diagram  of  the  Pleiades        _         -         -         _         _  164 

Nebula  in  Cygnus      -------  176 

The  Surface  of  the  Moon       -         -         -         -         -  •  i77 

SiRius,  A  Celestial  Furnace       -         -         -         -         -  192 

The  36-INCH  Lick  Telescope    -----  193 

Breaking  Through  the  Mist     -----  208 

Nebula  in  Ursa  Major    ------  209 

The  Sword  and  Belt  of  Orion     -----  224 

The  Spiral  Nebula  of  Canes  Venatici    -         -         -  225 

Saturn  Rising    --------  240 

The  Firmament  of  Saturn      -----  240 

Air  in  Motion     --------  241 

Orion's  Nebula  as  Shown  by  Photography     -         -  256 

Another  View  of  the  Nebula  in  Orion       -         -         -  257 
xii 


Introduction 

For  eight  years,  Kepler  sought  unceasingly,  with 
unremitting  toil,  to  solve  the  law  of  planetary  motion. 
During  those  years,  he  tried  nineteen  different  hypothe- 
ses. One  after  another  of  these  he  was  compelled  to 
lay  aside  as  not  conforming  to  the  motion  of  the  plan- 
ets. His  courage  and  patience  transfigured  failure 
into  success.  When,  after  days  of  study  and  nights  of 
observation,  the  months  showed  a  theory  untenable,  he 
turned  from  it  without  regret,  knowing  that  there  was 
one  less  theory  to  try.  At  last,  he  was  compelled  to 
give  up  every  theory  of  the  circle  as  the  explanation  of 
orbital  motion.  He  then  chose  the  next  to  the  circle 
in  simplicity,  the  ellipse.  Here  he  found  all  the  con- 
ditions met.  The  problem  at  last  was  solved,  and  he 
cried,  "O  almighty  God,  I  am  thinking  Thy  thoughts 
after  Thee !"  When  he  had  established  his  second  and 
third  laws,  and  written  his  exposition  of  them,  he 
said :  "My  book  is  written  to  be  read  either  now  or  by 
posterity;  I  care  not  which.  It  may  well  wait  a  cen- 
tury for  a  reader,  since  God  has  waited  six  thousand 
years  for  an  observer." 

Thus  in  a  realization  that  the  scientist  is  but  tracing 
the  handwriting  of  the  Creator,  and  with  an  abiding 
faith  that  His  writing  is  intelligible,  and  contains  a 
divine  message,  did  such  men  as  Kepler  and  Newton 
lay  the  foundations  of  our  present  knowledge. 

Some  of  the  men  accounted  great  to-day  —  mere 
pygmies  compared  with  the   men   just  mentioned  — 

13 


14  INTRODUCTION 

have  the  effrontery  to  tell  us  that  they  see  in  the 
heavens  no  trace  of  a  God.  But  in  making  such  a 
statement,  they  but  confess  their  own  blindness  and 
dumbness.  They  are  like  one  who  cannot  read,  point- 
ing at  the  letters  of  the  printed  page,  and  saying  there 
is  no  trace  of  knowledge  or  intelligence  there. 

To  disbelieve  in  God,  a  man  must  believe  in  a  thou- 
sand anomalies  which  he  cannot  reconcile  with  reason ; 
and  he  must  accept  contradictions  and  improbabilities 
without  number.  He  must  assume  that  effects  are 
greater  than  their  causes ;  that  the  greatest  effects  are 
without  any  cause  at  all ;  in  fact,  that  something,  and 
a  mighty  something  at  that,  came  from  nothing. 

That  he  may  not  see  evidences  of  God,  the  atheist 
must  close  his  eyes  to  the  light  which  shines  upon  him 
everywhere,  from  sun  and  stars,  and  reflected  from 
satellite  and  planet,  and  that  also  gleams  from  the  eyes 
of  countless  intelligent  creatures  in  the  world  about 
him. 

That  he  may  not  hear  the  message  of  God  in  nature, 
he  must  close  his  ears  to  the  voices  that  sound  in  crea- 
tion's harmonies,  from  the  hum  of  insects  and  the 
songs  of  the  birds,  up  to  that  silent  thunder  of  un- 
counted worlds  and  suns  and  systems  which  pour  into 
the  ear  of  the  soul  the  mighty  music  of  the  spheres. 

The  irreligious  scientist  is  a  contradiction.  The  un- 
devout  astronomer  has  become  spiritually  deranged.  A 
study  of  nature  will  soften  and  subdue  man's  heart, 
if  he  does  not  stubbornly  harden  it.  Astronomy  will 
give  to  the  man  who  rightly  studies  the  wonders  of  the 
heavens  a  modesty  and  humility  regarding  his  own  at- 


INTRODUCTION  15 

tainments,  and  an  admiration  and  devotion  for  the 
One  whose  works  declare  the  grandeur  and  the  glory 
of  His  holy  and  exalted  personality;  and  he  will  turn 
with  added  confidence  and  joy  to  the  Book  that  ex- 
plains all.  Thus  will  he  know  the  blessing  gained  by 
a  study  of  astronomy  and  the  Bible. 

Lucas  A.  Reed. 


Creation 

The  spacious  firmament  on  high, 

With  all  the  blue,  ethereal  sky. 

The  spangled  heavens,  a  shining  frame, 

Their  great  Original  proclaim; 

Th'  unwearied  sun,  from  day  to  day, 

Does  his  Creator's  power  display, 

And  publishes  to  every  land 

The  work  of  an  almighty  hand. 

Soon  as  the  evening  shades  prevail. 
The  moon  takes  up  the  wondrous  tale, 
And  nightly,  to  the  listening  earth 
Repeats  the  story  of  her  birth; 
While  all  the  stars  that  round  her  burn. 
And  all  the  planets  in  their  turn, 
Confirm  the  tidings  as  they  roll. 
And  spread  the  truth  from  pole  to  pole. 

What  though  in  solemn  silence,  all 
Move  round  the  dark  terrestial  ball? 
What  though  no  real  voice  or  sound 
Amid  their  radiant  orbs  be  found? 
In  reason's  ear  they  all  rejoice. 
And  utter  forth  a  glorious  voice. 
Forever  singing,  as  they  shine. 
The  hand  that  made  us  is  divine." 

— Joseph  Addison. 


j6 


Omega  Centauri 

One  of  the  many  star  clusters,   each  composed  of   immense 

glowing  suns  far  larger  than  our  own. 


2a 


The  Head  of  a  Comet 

This   drawing  gives  one  an  idea  of  the   size   of   a  comet   as 

compared  with  the  earth.    The  brightest  spot  in  the  head  of  a 

comet  is  called  the  nucleus ;    surrounding  this  are  layers   of 

luminous  matter,  from  which  the  tail  streams  away. 


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CHAPTER  I 

Astronomy  and  the  Bible 

OF  all  the  sciences,  astronomy  makes  the  most 
nearly  universal  appeal.  Persons  who  have 
little  interest  in  even  the  common  things  about 
them,  are  nevertheless  often  deeply  interested  in  know- 
ing something  of  those  heavenly  lights  which  shine 
down  upon  them. 

What  are  these  stars  ?  Are  they  other  worlds  at  all 
like  ours?  How  many  of  them  are  inhabited?  What 
of  their  distance  and  of  the  scale  on  which  the  universe 
is  built?  What  is  that  large  red  star,  and  this  bright 
white  one?  What  is  the  Milky  Way?  Why  does  the 
North  Star  always  remain  north? 

These  and  countless  more  questions  rise  at  once 
when  the  subject  is  introduced.  All  these  questions  are 
worthy  of  a  careful  answer.  The  science  of  astronomy 
deserves  to  be  understood.  And  of  its  large  and  most 
important  features,  every  student  may  gain  some  defi- 
nite and  useful  knowledge. 

To  outline  some  of  the  principles  of  astronomy, 
never  exceeding  the  limit  of  true  science,  and  to  weigh, 

17 


18  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

in  relation  to  those  principles,  the  words  of  the  Bible, — 
these  are  our  aims  in  this  book.  Such  a  view  will  not 
narrow  our  conceptions  of  astronomy.  We  shall  see, 
before  we  are  through  with  the  study,  that  only  thus 
can  we  comprehend  the  grandeur,  the  dignity,  the  sub- 
limity, the  uplifting  urge,  of  this  important  science. 

Thus  viewing  it,  we  are  carried  back  to  the  ages 
when  the  universe  began.  We  view  the  dawn  of  crea- 
tion. We  hear  the  first  whisper  of  the  creative  word. 
We  see  the  first  appearings  of  the  material  world  under 
the  manifestations  of  divine  energy. 

Thus,  too,  we  learn  how  the  mighty  universe  is  sus- 
tained. We  contemplate  its  complicated  mechanism 
of  wheel  within  wheel  rolling  on  in  the  deeps  of 
space,  as  age  follows  age.  We  gaze  with  eager  eyes 
into  the  ages  to  come.  We  behold  order  and  system 
and  ever  advancing  variety  and  magnitude.  We  pon- 
der the  might  of  immensity  and  the  greatness  of  eter- 
nity. The  finite  mind  expands,  seeking  evermore  to 
grasp  the  measures  of  the  infinite. 

Were  it  not  for  the  Bible,  our  conceptions  would 
take  in  too  little,  even  though  we  might  be  aided  by 
all  the  means  and  methods  of  modern  astronomy.  In 
the  Word,  our  vague  guesses  and  groping  questions 
are  answered  by  the  most  daring  of  revelations,  the 
grandest  of  delineations,  the  most  sublime  of  state- 
ments. 

Indeed,  no  one  can  rightly  understand  astronomy, 
aside  from  the  Bible.  This  is  paramountly  true, 
whether  we  contemplate  the  beginnings  of  things, 
"when  the  morning  stars  sang  together,  and  all  the 


ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE  19 

sons  of  God  shouted  for  joy,"  or  run  forward  In 
thought  to  the  coming  age,  when  there  shall  rise  a 
new  heaven  and  a  new  earth,  and  the  former  things 
shall  have  passed  away. 
1/^  The  Bible  is  the  supreme  textbook.  Like  a  tower- 
ing rock  that  fronts  the  sea,  its  granite  wall  is  forever 
receiving  the  onslaught  of  the  waves.  One  moment, 
the  waters  strike  upon  its  fending  sides,  and  break  in 
forceless  spray ;  the  next,  the  sunbeams  touch  and 
transfigure  the  old  water-washed  rock  with  diamond 
gleams  of  light.  Thus,  with  radiant  and  unbroken 
front,  the  Word  stands  immovable  through  the  ages, 
our  wall  of  protection  from  error  and  folly.  That 
mighty  wall  of  truth  remains  impregnable  to-day  as 
ever. 

There  is  no  controversy  between  true  science  and  the  \ 
Bible.    Both  are  manifestations  of  divine  truth.    True    ' 
science  but  makes  more  brilliant  the  gems  of  Holy 
Writ ;  and  the  Bible  ever  guides  the  mind  more  deeply 
and  sublimely  into  the  wonders  of  true  science.    Each 
is  the  handmaid  of  the  other.     In  the  Bible,  we  find 
the  great  principles  of  truth;  in  nature,  we  find  facts 
that  explain,  illustrate,  and  make  clear  the  truth  of, 
the  Word. 

Truth  is  a  unit.  It  is  not  separate,  antagonistic 
things.  Though  manifold  —  indeed,  infinite  —  in  the 
variety  of  its  manifestation,  it  is  one  harmonious  sys- 
tem. And  this  one  truth,  revealed  in  the  Bible,  "is 
reflected  as  from  a  mirror,  in  the  face  of  nature." 

This  complete  revelation  of  truth,  inspiration  calls 
''the  Word."     And  the  term  "word,"  or  "logos,"  im- 


20  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

plies  that  a  mind  has  expressed  itself,  not  merely  in 
words,  but  in  "the  Word" ;  that  is  to  say,  a  symmetri- 
cal whole.  But  the  mind  that  has  thus  expressed  itself 
is  the  divine  mind;  and  its  expression  is  a  manifesta- 
tion of  realities. 

It  is  "the  Word,"  for  it  speaks.  It  produces  reali- 
ties; for  that  Word  is  creative,  pouring  forth  divine 
energy.  It  spoke  at  creation ;  and  what  it  commanded, 
obeyed  by  existing.  That  Word  said,  "Let  light  be ;" 
and  light  was.  The  Bible  may  give  us  in  words  "the 
Word"  of  God;  but  that  Word  is  also  manifested  in 
the  world  it  created  and  still  sustains.  If  in  nature 
there  is  anything  not  produced  and  sustained  by  "the 
Word,"  it  is  but  some  temporary  thing,  the  result  of 
some  other  mind,  a  mind  antagonistic  to  the  divine 
mind.  And  this  transient  element,  discerned  by  its 
vanity  and  falsity,  will  eventually  pass  away.  But 
"the  Word"  of  God,  and  He  who  is  in  that  Word,  and 
makes  it  vital,  efficient,  and  substantial,  will  abide  for- 
ever. 

As  words  express  the  thoughts,  or  mind,  of  a  man, 
so  "the  Word"  expresses,  reveals,  discloses  the  divine 
mind.  The  Bible  is  the  echo  of  the  divine  mind,  and 
so  it  is  called  "the  Word  of  God."  When  it  is  minis- 
tered to  us  by  the  Spirit,  it  becomes  at  once  the  living, 
acting  Word  of  God;  and  such  it  is  truly  called. 
Christ  is  the  revelation,  the  "outgoing,"  of  God's  mind, 
or  character;  and  therefore  He  is  called  "the  Logos," 
or  "Word."  John  i :  1-3.  And  nature,  too,  though 
clouded  by  sin,  is  a  panorama  of  God's  thoughts  to 
His  creatures,  and  hence  is  called  "the  other  word." 


ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE  21 

In  Christ,  the  personified  Word,  ''are  hid  all  the 
treasures  of  wisdom  and  knowledge."  Col.  2 : 3. 
Think  of  the  all-comprehending  meaning  of  the  mar- 
velous expression,  "all  the  treasures  of  wisdom  and 
knowledge."  These  treasures  include  all  the  unsearch- 
able and  unfathomable  deeps  of  the  divine  mind.  In- 
spiration, catching  in  one  glimpse  the  infinitude  of 
these  treasures,  cries  out,  "O  the  depth  of  the  riches 
both  of  the  wisdom  and  knowledge  of  God!"     Rom. 

II -33- 

O  the  depth  indeed! 

And  all  this  knowledge  and  wisdom,  all  indeed  that 
there  is,  has  been  revealed  to  us  in  Jesus  Christ.  He 
Himself  says,  "All  things  that  the  Father  hath  are 
Mine."  John  16:15.  These  "all  things,"  the  Spirit 
receives  to  show  to  the  disciples  of  Christ. 

And  what  a  comprehending  sweep  of  things  is  in- 
cluded in  that  expression,  "all  things  that  the  Father 
hath" !  How  much  has  He  ?  Look  yonder  into  the 
heavens.  Behold  a  thousand  suns  rolling  in  the  abyss 
of  space;  and  around  them,  held  by  them,  attendant 
worlds  teeming  with  life  and  beauty  —  stars  upon 
stars,  and  worlds  upon  worlds,  universe  beyond  uni- 
verse, creation  beyond  creation.  All  that  we  see  is 
but  a  tiny  suburb  of  the  great  creation. 

We  take  a  five-inch  glass  and  look  at  one  mere  spot 
in  the  heavens.  Wonder  of  wonders !  It  is  trans- 
formed into  hundreds  of  suns,  so  closely  studded  to- 
gether that  we  cannot  number  them. 

We  find  a  stronger  glass.  Still  other  suns  appear, 
suns  upon  suns,  as  the  sands  of  the  seashore,  innumer- 


22  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

able.  It  is  impossible  to  pierce  to  the  outer  bounds 
of  the  gleaming  stars ;  for  still  we  see  lights  gleaming 
from  beyond,   where  all  grows  cloudy  and  obscure. 

All  are  Christ's.  The  fullness  of  God  is  there,  the 
complete  revelation,  all  the  treasures  of  wisdom  and 
knowledge,  all  the  deeps  of  infinite  thought  and  action. 

Then  the  Bible  must  be  our  aid  in  the  study  of  all 
science,  astronomy  included;  for  the  Bible  is  our  only 
means  of  intelligently  receiving  and  knowing  Christ. 
And  these  treasures  "in  Him"  include  all  the  treasures 
of  truth,  all  forms  of  true  science.  The  word  "all" 
bars  any  exceptions. 

This  is  not  to  say  that  the  Bible  contains  every  pos- 
sible phrasing  of  truth,  or  every  single  detail  of  it. 
We  are  told  that  if  all  that  Jesus  did  were  written,  it 
is  supposed  that  even  the  world  could  not  contain  the 
books  that  should  be  written.  Yet  His  life,  the  unity, 
the  completeness  of  His  life,  is  contained  in  the  Bible. 
That  the  world  could  not  contain  all  the  books  that 
might  be  written  of  His  life,  is  because  the  principles 
represented  are  manifestations  of  infinite  truth;  and 
infinite  truth,  to  be  fully  expressed,  requires  infinite 
expression.  But  thus  infinitely  expressed,  all  truth 
would  fill  the  world,  and,  indeed,  the  universe  itself; 
and  would  fill  it  not  only  now,  but  throughout  eternity. 

Yet  in  the  Bible,  in  principles  of  infinite  meaning,  in 
words  of  never  ending  import,  is  recorded  the  all- 
wisdom  of  God.  All  that  is  of  God  is  in  the  Word. 
It  is  locked  in  comprehensive  statements  that  cannot 
fail  to  be  understood,  yet  so  richly  stored  that  they  be- 
come treasures  as  inexhaustible  as  eternity  and  God. 


ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE  23 

To  survey  them  adequately,  demands  capacity  most 
mighty  and  Hves  immortal,  with  means  of  reaching  and 
observing  unhampered  His  ever  expanding  domains. 

But  remember  that  even  now  we  have  in  the  Bible 
all  the  great  principles  included  in  these  things.  In 
the  Bible,  they  have  been  committed  to  man.  True, 
they  are  locked  in  the  storehouse;  but  God  has  given 
us  the  key.  They  are  hidden;  but  He  has  told  us  to 
seek,  and  we  shall  find.  Though  the  door  is  closed, 
it  will  be  opened  to  us  if  we  knock. 

For  this,  the  study  of  astronomy  and  the  study  of 
the  Bible  are  combined.  We  mention  astronomy  first, 
not  because  it  is  first  in  importance,  but  because  we 
give  it  here  the  most  attention.  This  book  is  not  pri- 
marily a  study  of  the  Bible,  but  a  study  of  astronomy. 
Yet  throughout,  we  seek  the  aid  of  the  sublime  words 
of  Sacred  Writ.  And  we  find  a  better  understanding 
of  the  Bible  through  the  light  that  science  gives. 

May  all  our  science  study  be  after  this  manner! 
Let  us  search  both  nature  and  the  Word  as  for  hidden 
treasure.  God  Himself  will  be  the  Teacher;  His  Word 
will  be  our  textbook;  His  works,  our  field  of  observa- 
tion ;  His  everlasting  habitations,  our  schoolroom ;  and 
eternity,  the  term  of  our  pupilage. 

Thus  our  lives  will  grow  richer  and  happier,  our 
minds  more  vigorous  and  comprehending,  while  our 
vision  ''forever  widens  with  the  process  of  the  suns." 


L 


CHAPTER  II 

Astronomy  and  Faith 

4  4"]f  IFT  up  your  eyes  on  high,  and  behold  who 
hath  created  these  things,  that  bringeth  out 
their  host  by  number :  He  calleth  them  all  by 
names  by  the  greatness  of  His  might,  for  that  He  is 
strong  in  power ;  not  one  f aileth."    Isa.  40 :  26. 

This  is  God's  invitation  to  the  study  of  astronomy. 
Every  one  should  study  this  science.  It  is  the  most 
delightful  and  the  most  inspiring  of  all  the  sciences.  It 
elevates  and  broadens  the  mind.  It  rouses  and  directs 
the  imagination.  It  gives  man  a  truer  idea  both  of 
himself  and  of  his  Creator.  And  in  a  better  under- 
standing of  God,  science  finds  its  true  service. 

When  we  find  that  the  stars  are  unmeasured  dis- 
tances from  us,  and  that  they  are  innumerable,  span- 
gUng  the  heavens  with  jets  of  radiance  infinite  in 
number,  we  are  in  better  condition  of  mind  to  realize 
the  glory  of  Him  who  brings  "out  their  host  by  num- 
ber," calling  "them  all  by  names." 

And  viewing  their  eternal  constancy,  as  they  move 
undeviatingly  in  their  orbits,  we  shall  perceive  back  of 

24 


ASTRONOMY  AND  FAITH  25 

them  the  power  of  God  that  forever  keeps  them  as 
they  are,  "by  the  greatness  of  His  might,  for  that  He 
is  strong  in  power ;  not  one  f aileth." 

Rarely  nowadays  is  astronomy  studied  with  any  such 
purpose  as  is  here  indicated.  Yet,  if  not  so  studied,  it 
fails  of  its  highest  purpose.  In  fact,  divorced  from 
thoughts  of  God,  it  can  only  discourage  man,  because 
of  his  infinite  littleness  in  contrast  with  the  grand 
immensity  of  the  universe,  into  believing  that  he  is  a 
forgotten  atom  in  the  dust  cloud  of  the  cosmos;  or 
encourage  him  into  thinking  that  he  knows  a  trifle  more 
than  his  fellows,  and  that  he,  with  his  giant  (  ?)  intel- 
lect, can  delve  into  the  profundities  of  space,  and  com- 
prehend the  infinite.  Thus  he  is  puffed  up  with  pride 
and  self-complacency. 

Some  one  has  said  that  "the  undevout  astronomer  is 
mad" — mad  because,  with  such  a  spectacle  before 
him,  he  is  still  undevout.  H  our  study  of  astronomy 
cannot  put  some  devout  thoughts  and  feelings  into 
our  souls,  it  has  proved  to  us  quite  a  failure. 

And  while  this  view  of  nature  as  a  means  of  quick- 
ening faith  seems  a  reasonable  one  to  take  as  the  in- 
tent of  astronomical  study,  nevertheless  there  are  per- 
sons who  will  oppose  this  idea.  However,  there  are 
those  who  have  gained  distinction  as  scientists  and 
astronomers,  who  view  the  subject  in  this  attitude  of 
faith  and  reverence.  A  few  quotations  from  some  of 
these  may  have  an  influence  in  starting  us  in  the  right 
direction. 

"The  great  dome  of  the  sky,  filled  with  glittering 
stars,  is  one  of  the  most  sublime  spectacles  in  nature. 


26  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

.  .  .  Some  shine  with  a  vivid  hght,  perpetually  chang- 
ing and  twinkling;  others,  more  constant,  beam  softly 
and  tranquilly  upon  us;  while  many  just  tremble  into 
our  sight,  like  a  wave  that,  struggling  to  reach  some 
far-off  land,  dies  as  it  touches  the  shore. 

"In  the  presence  of  such  weird  and  wondrous  beauty, 
the  tenderest  sentiments  of  the  heart  are  aroused.  A 
feeling  of  awe  and  reverence,'  of  softened  melancholy 
mingled  with  a  thought  of  God,  comes  over  us,  and 
awakens  the  better  nature  within  us." — Joel  Dorman 
Steele,  Ph.  D. 

Another  has  said  that  as  w^e  study  astronomy,  "the 
common  authorship  of  the  worlds  and  the  Word  be- 
comes apparent;  their  common  unexplorable  wealth  is 
a  necessary  conclusion." —  Henry  White  Warren,  D.  D. 

Both  of  the  writers  quoted  above  are  the  authors 
of  textbooks  on  astronomy.  The  latter  of  the  two  did 
not  fail,  in  his  "Recreations  in  Astronomy,"  to  carry 
out  the  principles  he  states. 

Herschel,  one  of  the  greatest  of  astronomers,  has 
said,  "All  human  discoveries  seem  to  be  made  only 
for  the  purpose  of  confirming  more  strongly  the  truths 
that  come  from  on  high  and  are  contained  in  the 
Sacred  Writings." 

And  General  Mitchel,  astronomer,  and  moving  spirit 
in  the  building  of  the  observatory  on  Mount  Adams, 
near  Cincinnati,  has  spoken  words  that  should  never 
be  forgotten: 

"If  there  be  anything  which  can  lead  the  mind  up- 
ward to  the  omnipotent  Ruler  of  the  universe,  and 
give  to  it  approximate  knowledge  of  His  incomprehen- 


ASTRONOMY  AND  FAITH  27 

sible  attributes,  it  is  to  be  found  in  the  grandeur  and 
beauty  of  His  works. 

"If  you  would  know  His  glory,  examine  the  inter- 
minable range  of  suns  and  systems  which  crowd  the 
Milky  Way.,  Multiply  the  hundred  millions  of  stars 
which  belong  to  our  own  'island  universe'  by  the  thou- 
sands of  these  astral  systems  that  exist  in  space,  within 
the  range  of  human  vision,  and  then  you  may  form 
some  idea  of  the  infinitude  of  His  kingdom;  for,  lo! 
these  are  but  a  part  of  His  ways.  Examine  the  scale 
on  which  the  universe  is  built.  Comprehend,  if  you 
can,  the  vast  dimensions  of  our  sun.  Stretch  outward 
through  his  system,  from  planet  to  planet,  and  cir- 
cumscribe the  whole  within  the  immense  circumference 
of  Neptune's  orbit.  This  is  but  a  single  unit  out  of 
the  myriads  of  similar  systems.  Take  the  wings  of 
light,  and  flash  with  impetuous  speed  day  and  night, 
and  month  and  year,  till  youth  shall  wear  away,  and 
middle  age  is  gone,  and  the  extremest  limit  of  human 
life  has  been  attained;  count  every  pulse,  and  at  each 
speed  on  your  way  a  hundred  thousand  miles;  and 
when  a  hundred  years  have  rolled  by,  look  out,  and 
behold !  the  thronging  milHons  of  blazing  suns  are  still 
around  you,  each  separated  from  the  other  by  such  a 
distance  that  in  this  journey  of  a  century  you  left 
only  half  a  score  behind  you. 

"Would  you  gather  some  idea  of  the  eternity  past 
of  God's  existence,  go  to  the  astronomer,  and  bid  him 
lead  you  with  him  in  one  of  his  trips  through  space; 
and  as  he  sweeps  upward  from  object  to  object,  from 
universe  to  universe,   remember  that  the  light  from 


28  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

those  filmy  stains  in  the  deep  pure  blue  heaven,  now 
falling  on  your  eye,  has  been  traversing  space  for  un- 
numbered years. 

"Would  you  gather  some  knowledge  of  the  omnipo- 
tence of  God,  weigh  the  earth  in  which  we  dwell,  then 
count  the  millions  of  its  inhabitants  that  have  come 
and  gone  for  the  last  six  thousand  years.  Unite  their 
strength  into  one  arm,  and  test  its  power  in  an  effort 
to  move  this  earth.  It  could  not  stir  it  a  single  foot 
in  a  thousand  years;  and  yet  under  the  omnipotent 
hand  of  God,  not  a  minute  passes  that  the  earth  does 
not  fly  for  more  than  a  thousand  miles.  But  this  is 
a  mere  atom;  the  most  insignificant  point  among  His 
innumerable  worlds.  At  His  bidding  every  planet  and 
satellite  and  comet,  and  the  sun  himself,  fly  onward 
in  their  appointed  courses.  His  single  arm  guides  the 
millions  of  sweeping  suns,  and  around  His  throne 
circles  the  great  constellation  of  unnumbered  universes. 

"Would  you  comprehend  the  idea  of  the  omniscience 
of  God,  remember  that  the  highest  pinnacle  of  knowl- 
edge reached  by  the  whole  human  race,  by  the  com- 
bined efforts  of  its  brightest  intellects,  has  enabled 
the  astronomer  to  compute  approximately  the  per- 
turbations of  the  planetary  worlds.  He  has  predicted 
roughly  the  return  of  half  a  score  of  comets.  But 
God  has  computed  the  mutual  perturbations  of  mil- 
lions of  suns,  and  planets  and  comets  and  worlds  with- 
out number,  through  the  ages  that  are  passed  and 
throughout  the  ages  that  are  yet  to  come,  not  approxi- 
mately, but  with  perfect  and  absolute  precision.  The 
universe  is  in  motion  —  system  rising  above  system. 


ASTRONOMY  AND  FAITH  29 

cluster  above  cluster,  nebula  above  nebula, —  all  ma- 
jestically sweeping  around  under  the  providence  of 
God,  who  alone  knows  the  end  from  the  beginning, 
and  before  whose  glory  and  power  all  intelligent  be- 
ings, whether  in  heaven  or  earth,  should  bow  with 
humility  and  awe. 

"Would  you  gain  some  idea  of  the  wisdom  of  God, 
look  to  the  admirable  adjustments  of  the  magnificent 
retinue  of  planets  and  satellites  which  sweep  around 
the  sun.  Every  globe  has  been  weighed  and  poised, 
every  orbit  has  been  measured  and  bent  to  its  beautiful 
form.  All  is  changing,  but  the  laws  fixed  by  the  wis- 
dom of  God,  though  they  permit  the  rocking  to  and 
fro  of  the  system,  never  introduce  disorder,  or  lead 
to  destruction.  All  is  perfect  and  harmonious,  and 
the  music  of  the  spheres  that  burn  and  roll  around  our 
sun,  is  echoed  by  that  of  ten  millions  of  moving  worlds, 
that  sing  and  shine  around  the  bright  suns  that  reign 
above. 

"If  overwhelmed  with  the  grandeur  and  majesty  of 
the  universe  of  God,  we  are  led  to  exclaim  with  the 
Hebrew  poet  king,  'When  I  consider  Thy  heavens,  the 
work  of  Thy  fingers,  the  moon  and  the  stars,  which 
Thou  hast  ordained ;  what  is  man,  that  Thou  art  mind- 
ful of  him?  and  the  son  of  man,  that  Thou  visitest 
him?'  If  fearful  that  the  eye  of  God  may  overlook 
us  in  the  immensity  of  His  kingdom,  we  have  only  to 
call  to  mind  that  other  passage :  Thou  hast  made  him 
a  little  lower  than  the  angels,  and  hast  crowned  him 
with  glory  and  honor.  Thou  madest  him  to  have  do- 
minion over  the  works  of  Thy  hands ;  Thou  hast  put  all 


30  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

things  under  his  feet.'  Such  are  the  teachings  of  the 
Word,  and  such  are  the  lessons  of  the  works  of  God." 

"Lift  up  your  eyes  on  high,  and  behold  who  hath 
created  these  things."  These  are  the  divine  words 
that  are  chiseled  upon  a  marble  tablet  in  the  wall  of 
the  astronomical  observatory  at  Williams  College. 
No  more  appropriate  words  for  such  a  building  could 
be  chosen.  They  are  the  prophet's  call  to  the  skeptics 
of  his  time,  and  they  are  as  forceful  to-day  as  they 
were  then.  When  a  French  infidel  said  to  a  Vendean 
peasant,  ''We  will  pull  down  your  churches,  destroy 
your  pictures,  and  demolish  everything  that  reminds 
you  of  God,"  the  peasant  repHed^  "But  you  will  leave 
us  the  stars." 

Yes,  the  stars  speak  to  us  of  God.  The  French  of- 
ficers could  dispute  and  deny  the  existence  of  a  Crea- 
tor as  they  sailed  down  the  Mediterranean  beneath 
the  splendors  of  the  evening  skies;  but  when  Napo- 
leon, wearied  of  their  babble,  pointed  upward  to  the 
myriad  stars  above  them,  and  said,  "All  very  well, 
gentlemen ;  but  who  made  these  ?"  they  were  silent,  as 
all  atheists  must  be. 

"Lift  up  your  eyes  on  high,  and  behold" — this  is 
the  study  of  astronomy.  And  herein  we  find  our  field 
of  observation;  namely,  that  of  the  unmeasured  uni- 
verse, with  its  glories  of  shining  suns  and  rolling 
worlds.  "Who  hath  created  these  things?" — this  is 
the  question  the  study  should  arouse.  And  thus  we 
find  the  purpose  of  astronomy;  namely,  to  reveal  the 
greatness  and  goodness  of  God. 


CHAPTER  III 

Science  and  the  Bible 

WHEN,  upon  a  cloudless,  moonless  night,  we 
look  above  us  into  the  overarching  heavens, 
we  are  charmed  by  the  spectacle  of  many 
points  of  light,  scintillating  and  quivering  in  the  deeps 
of  the  sky. 

We  say  to  ourselves :  Can  any  one  really  tell  us  aught 
about  these  and  how  they  came  there?  What  is  their 
purpose  and  what  their  destiny?  Did  they  at  some 
time  come  into  being,  or  did  they  always  exist?  And 
what  shall  be  their  end,  if  any  end  for  them  there  be? 
It  is  true  that  science  alone  can  partly  answer  some 
of  these  questions;  yet  some  of  the  more  important 
she  cannot  answer  at  all.  But  as  we  delve  into  these 
problems  of  astronomy,  we  discover  that  the  Bible  says 
something  decisive  about  them.  We  find  it  speaking 
with  authority  in  the  realm  of  science.  Thus  we 
soon  learn  that  both  science  and  the  Bible  have 
something  to  say  w4th  reference  to  the  answers;  and 
as  we  carefully  go  to  both  for  knowledge,  we  become 
consistent  in  our  study  of  astronomy  and  the  Bible. 

31 


32  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

For  example,  we  ask,  What  is  the  origin  of  the  uni- 
verse? The  scientist,  unaided  by  the  Word,  searches 
all  parts  of  the  universe  that  are  available  to  his  tests. 
He  computes  the  times  or  movements,  the  paths  or 
directions,  the  powers  or  velocities,  of  the  stars  within 
the  reach  of  his  instruments.  He  multiplies  instances. 
He  compares  one  with  another.  He  computes  into  the 
hundreds  of  years.  He  goes  back  in  times  past.  He 
reckons  forward  into  times  to  come. 

When  he  has  satisfied  every  element  of  the  problem, 
which  is  to  him  wholly  a  mathematical  one,  he  avers : 
"There  is  no  danger  of  collision  or  of  interference 
among  any  of  the  heavenly  bodies.  Though  their  paths 
cross,  though  their  orbits  often  interweave,  yet  each 
heavenly  body  always  moves  in  such  a  way  and  place 
as  in  no  wise  to  jeopardize  itself  or  its  fellows. 
Everywhere  is  perfect  order.  So  far  as  I  can  see,  the 
universe  may  go  on  as  it  is  to  all  eternity.  And  so  far 
as  I  can  reckon,  it  has  been  going  on  in  this  perfect 
way  from  all  eternity." 

But  in  making  this  last  statement,  the  scientist  has 
run  into  controversy  with  the  Word  of  God.  He  has 
contradicted  the  statements  of  the  Bible.  Thus  we 
are  shown  that  the  Bible  is  the  great  guide,  after  all, 
in  some  of  the  important  things  of  science. 

In  saying  that  the  universe  never  had  beginning, 
the  scientist  denies  the  statement  of  Genesis,  "In  the 
beginning  God  created."  The  Word  admonishes  us 
to  look  up  and  behold  the  manifestations  of  a  mighty 
and  orderly  universe,  but  its  appeal  is  to  behold  "who 
hath  created  these  things."     He  "bringeth  out  their 


The  Southern  Cross 

This  beautiful  constellation  is  a  stranger  to  those  dwelling  in 

the  Northern  Hemisphere.     Note  the  immense 

company  of  lesser  stars. 


Yerkes  Observatory,  Lake  Geneva,  Wisconsin 


SCIENCE  AND  THE  BIBLE  33 

host  by  number;"  that  is  to  say,  with  mathematical 
precision  and  order.  He  so  brought  them  out  in  the 
beginning  —  created  them,  or  gave  them  existence. 
And  He  still  continues  to  bring  them  out ;  that  is,  main- 
tains their  existence. 

Or  again,  the  scientist  asserts  that  gravitation  holds 
all  the  heavenly  bodies  in  place.  And  the  Bible  shows 
that  in  this,  the  scientist  has  not  thought  deep  enough. 
We  ask.  What  is  gravitation?  The  scientist  answers, 
Gravitation  is  the  attraction  between  the  particles  of 
matter;  it  is  the  bond  of  relationship  by  which  they 
are  held  together.  But  we  press  the  question.  What 
is  this  attraction?  We  find  that  his  answer  is  merely 
a  description  of  the  thing,  and  really  no  explanation 
of  it  at  all.  "The  attraction  between  particles  of 
matter"  is  but  another  name  for  gravitation.  What  is 
gravitation  —  what  is  this  attraction  ?  How  and  why 
does  it  exist?  In  short,  what  causes  the  pull  between 
the  particles? 

Sir  Isaac  Newton  demonstrated  the  existence  of  the 
bond ;  yet  he  did  not  explain  its  mystery,  but  confessed 
to  that  mystery.  He  said  that  for  a  thing  like  gravi- 
tation to  exist  was  apparently  unreasonable.  "How 
can  anything  be  where  it  is  not  ?"  How  can  one  world 
pull  another  world  that  is  millions  of  miles  away  from 
it  ?    How  can  it  maintain  an  influence  where  it  is  not  ? 

Science  alone  has  no  answer,  and  she  has  no  sug- 
gestion of  an  answer.  On  a  purely  material  basis,  no 
adequate  answer  can  ever  be  proposed.  Therefore 
science  does  not  pretend  to  answer,  and  she  acknowl- 
edges that  she  does  not. 


34  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

But  in  the  Bible,  we  learn  that  this  power  is  the 
upholding  power  of  the  creative  word.  Heb.  i :  1-3. 
Thus  the  things  that  are  made  reveal  the  invisible 
things  of  God,  "even  His  eternal  power."  Rom.  i :  20. 
Gravitation  is  the  power  of  God  through  Christ  hold- 
ing all  things  together ;  that  is,  making  them  "consist." 
Col.  1 :  17.  It  is  out  of  God's  unfailing  might  that  they 
endure.     Isa.  40 :  26. 

Even  those  most  interested  in  teaching  and  believing 
some  other  theory,  have  no  real  argument  to  offer 
against  the  plain  statements  of  the  Word,  except  that 
some  other  explanation  than  that  given  in  the  Scrip- 
tures is  more  credible  to  them.  One  of  the  greatest 
exponents  of  evolution  could  swallow  the  preposterous 
idea  that  sometime  in  the  remote  ages  of  the  past,  life 
sprang  from  no-life.  Believing  such  an  unscientific, 
self-contradictory  conception,  he  nevertheless  admits 
that  science  can  really  present  nothing  against  the  Bib- 
lical idea  of  a  personal  Creator.    We  quote  his  words : 

"If,  ...  in  some  indefinitely  remote  past  seon,  the 
cosmic  process  was  set  going  by  some  entity  possessed 
of  intelligence  and  foresight,  similar  to  our  own  in 
kind,  however  superior  in  degree;  if  ...  it  is  held 
that  every  event,  not  merely  in  our  planetary  speck, 
but  in  untold  millions  of  other  worlds,  was  foreknown 
before  these  worlds  were, —  scientific  thought,  so  far 
as  I  know  anything  about  it,  has  nothing  to  say  against 
that  hypothesis." —  Thomas  Huxley,  Fortnightly  Re- 
viezv,  November,  i8p2. 

But  though  science  can  say  nothing  in  denial  of  the 
Word,  the  Word  has  something  to  say  against  such 


SCIENCE  AND  THE  BIBLE  35 

science  as  Mr.  Huxley  too  often  believed  and  taught. 
And  true  science,  too,  joins  in  the  denial  of  his  self- 
evident  errors.  How,  for  example,  can  life  come  from 
something  that  is  not  life?  One  of  the  highest  laws 
of  his  beloved  evolution  is  the  law  of  "conformity 
to  type";  that  is  to  say,  "Like  begets  like."  Yet  he 
believed  —  because,  and  only  because,  he  needed  the 
thing  in  his  business  —  that  something  entirely  dif- 
ferent from  life  begot  life. 

The  whole  creation  speaks,  if  it  speaks  at  all,  in  a 
way  to  demonstrate  the  statements  of  the  Word. 

There  is,  for  example,  no  possible  way  for  us  to 
conceive  how  the  universe  itself  can  maintain  itself. 
How  can  each  and  every  particle  of  matter  constantly 
maintain  an  attractive  energy  for  each  and  every  other 
particle  of  matter?  How  can  this  mighty  flow  of 
power  be  maintained  undiminished  throughout  the 
ages?  We  cannot  conceive  of  such  a  flow  without  an 
idea  of  an  adequate  source  from  which  it  flows. 

Again,  the  heavenly  bodies  are  all  in  motion.  That 
motion  is  unceasing  from  age  to  age.  The  average  is 
constant.  In  the  case  of  the  rotation  of  the  earth  on 
its  axis,  causing  day  and  night,  there  is  not  the  slight- 
est variation  in  velocity,  not  by  the  fraction  of  a 
second. 

We  know  how  difficult  it  is  with  us  to  maintain 
motion.  We  must  have  some  supply  of  energy  by 
which  to  accomplish  it.  But  the  stars  drive  on  through 
space  with  untiring  power.  Can  they  drive  them- 
selves? Even  our  automobiles,  "self-moving  ma- 
chines," are  in  reality  gasoline-moved  machines.    They 


36  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

must  be  constantly  supplied  with  the  source  of  energy ; 
and  after  a  given  length  of  time,  the  mechanism  breaks 
down. 

We  say  again,  On  a  material  or  mechanical  basis 
alone,  there  is  no  real  explanation  for  this  living,  stir- 
ring universe. 

Take  again  the  problem  of  the  direction  of  the 
stars.  We  see  that  everywhere  there  is  wonderful 
order.  The  universe  is  a  delicately  adjusted  unit. 
Every  part  is  placed  with  perfect  reference  to  every 
other  part.  All  are  guided  by  perfection  of  wisdom. 
Where  does  this  wisdom  reside?  Does  each  sphere 
contain  its  own  intelligence?  And  if  so,  whence  came 
it,  so  that  it  should  comprehend  the  entire  universe, 
and  be  always  perfectly  related  to  all  the  activities  of 
the  cosmos  ? 

Then,  too,  there  is  the  question,  unanswered  by 
science,  concerning  the  mystery  of  radiant  energy. 
The  light  of  the  stars  shines  on  in  unfailing  luster 
from  age  to  age.    What  feeds  the  fiery  flames  ? 

And  with  all  the  rest  of  the  marvels,  we  contemplate 
the  wonder  of  the  speed  of  light.  It  moves  with  the 
enormous  rapidity  of  186,000  miles  a  second.  That 
is  a  distance  equal  to  about  7%  times  around  the  world. 
And  all  this  in  a  second  of  time!  One  swing  of  the 
pendulum,  and  light  has  swung  186,000  miles  away. 
Before  you  have  read  this  sentence,  it  has  traveled 
more  than  800,000  miles. 

And  the  speed  does  not  slacken  with  the  distance 
traveled.  A  man  or  a  horse  travels  slower  as  the  dis- 
tance increases,  until,  without  rest,  motion  ceases  alto- 


SCIENCE  AND  THE  BIBLE  37 

gether,  the  energy  is  exhausted.  But  Hght  is  still 
speeding  186,000  miles  a  second  when  it  has  traveled 
a  thousand  years.  Time  or  distance  makes  no  change 
in  its  velocity. 

There  is  a  star  yonder  in  the  heavens.  To  come 
from  it  to  us,  light  must  travel  day  and  night  for  a 
hundred  years.  When  light  left  that  star,  it  was  travel- 
ing 186,000  miles  a  second;  and  when  it  reaches  the 
earth  after  its  century  flight,  it  is  still  traveling  186,000 
miles  every  second.  There  is  no  slowing  up  with  the 
distance  traversed. 

A  fact  like  this  can  never  be  explained  on  any 
purely  material  or  mechanical  basis.  The  cause  of  all 
this  flow  of  unflagging  energy  lies  far  back  beyond  the 
measure  of  yardstick  or  balance  arm,  of  telescope  or 
prism  glass. 

God  is  the  cause  of  all,  and  He  is  invisible  both  to 
the  eye  of  man  and  to  the  instruments  that  man  may 
devise.  Yet  in  the  realm  of  spirit,  we  may  seek  and 
find  Him.  He  may  be  discovered  by  the  eye  of  faith. 
We  may  know  Him  not  only  as  Originator  and  Up- 
holder, but  as  God  and  Father.  And  finding  and 
knowing  Him,  we  find  and  have  the  life  eternal. 

Thus  we  see  that  the  Bible  and  science  should  not 
be  separated.  Yet  some  may  ask,  In  just  what  sense 
does  the  Bible  aid  in  the  study  of  science? 

In  answering  the  question,  shall  we  assume  that  the 
Bible  has  nothing  to  do  with  science,  and  that  science 
has  nothing  to  do  with  the  Bible?  Shall  we  accept 
the  position  of  Hugh  Miller,  the  celebrated  geologist, 
that  the  Bible  does  not  in  any  sense  reveal  the  great 


38  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

physical  truths  of  nature,  that  science  alone  is  fully 
competent  to  discover  these,  and  that  therefore  God 
''left  them  to  be  developed  piecemeal  by  the  unassisted 
human  faculties"? 

Not  by  any  means. 

We  have  found  that  those  scientists  who  say  that 
the  Bible  and  science  have  nothing  to  do  with  one  an- 
other are  radically  wrong.  We  know  that  certain  so- 
called  scientific  teachings  are  constantly  coming  into 
clash  with  the  statements  of  the  Word.  This  of  itself 
must  show  that  the  Bible  does  say  something  on  the 
question;  otherwise  there  would  be  no  controversy. 

Yet,  while  it  is  perhaps  recognized  or  acknowledged 
that  there  is  some  sort  of  relation  between  the  two, 
there  is  seen  to  be  also  somx  sort  of  distinction  or  divi- 
sion between  them. 

Now,  the  Bible,  we  know,  does  not  answer  all  the 
questions  we  might  ask  concerning  nature.  The  Bible 
does  not  record  the  distance  from  here  to  the  sun.  It 
does  not  record  the  number  of  petals  in  a  sweetbrier 
rose,  nor  does  it  describe  the  notes  of  a  lark. 

If  these  things  are  not  found  in  the  Bible,  where  are 
we  to  find  them  ?  —  In  nature,  of  course.  It  is  nature's 
work  to  show  forth  facts.  Nature  is,  indeed,  but  a 
cosmos  of  facts  or  realities.  And  facts  can  best  be 
learned  by  observation,  by  acquaintanceship  with  them. 
How  could  words  present  to  you  the  song  of  the  lark? 
How  could  descriptions  reveal  the  tender,  ravishing 
color  of  the  rose? 

But  though  nature  teaches  us  facts,  great  guiding 
principles,  on  the  other  hand,  may  be  stated  to  us  in 


SCIENCE  AND  THE  BIBLE  39 

words.  And  this  is  what  the  Bible  does  for  us.  The 
Bible  contains  the  great  principles  that  concern  our 
salvation.  We  may  study  the  facts  of  the  natural 
world ;  but  when  we  seek  to  formulate  a  principle  that 
affects  man's  relation  to  his  Creator,  we  at  once  come 
within  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Word  of  God. 

And  we  assert,  without  fear  of  successful  contradic- 
tion, that  wherever  and  however  men  draw  conclusions 
regarding  the  relation  between  God  and  His  creation, 
right  there,  always  and  forever,  will  be  found  some- 
thing from  God's  Word  confirming  or  denying  the  hu- 
man conclusion. 

This  is  infallibly  true. 

Fact  is  conformity  to  truth.  When  God  stated  the 
infinite  truth  of  the  Word,  He  saw  all  the  facts  of 
the  universe  that  lay  within  the  meaning  of  that  truth, 
and  God's  statement  did  not  contradict  a  single  truth, 
and  there  was  not  a  fact  in  the  universe  left  unex- 
plained by  the  truth.  Truth  is  conformity  to  fact,  and 
fact  is  conformity  to  truth.  The  Bible  is  ''the  truth," 
and  nature  consists  of  facts ;  and  so  there  is  perfect 
conformity  between  the  Bible  and  nature.  The  facts 
of  nature  illustrate  the  truth  of  the  Bible,  and  the 
Bible  guides  us  in  our  contemplation  of  nature.  Thus 
each  illuminates  the  other. 

The  Bible  gives  us,  if  you  please,  the  working  hy- 
pothesis regarding  all  the  fields  of  knowledge.  If  we 
attempt  to  unite  truth  with  error,  or  good  with  evil, 
the  statements  of  the  Word  drive  a  line  of  cleavage 
between  the  two,  separating  them  for  us.  Thus  we 
are  kept  from  being  ensnared.     We  are  saved  from 


40  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

error,  which  is  the  perversion  of  truth;  and  we  are 
saved  from  evil,  which  is  the  perversion  of  good. 

The  study  of  astronomy  in  the  Hght  of  the  Bible 
is  therefore  the  only  rational  study  of  it.  By  a  con- 
templation of  God's  Word  and  His  works,  we  shall 
rise  to  a  measure  of  real  knowledge.  We  shall  con- 
stantly attain  both  wisdom  and  judgment.  Thus  we 
shall  never  lose  reverence  for  God  nor  confidence  in 
His  Word. 


CHAPTER  IV 

The  Atmospheric  Heavens 

No  one  can  have  any  adequate  idea  of  astronomy 
without  some  knowledge  of  the  atmospheric 
heavens.  The  ignorant  in  past  ages  may  have 
thought  that  the  heavens  encircling  us  were  but  plates 
that  held  us  in,  parts  of  a  huge  crystal  sphere. 

Had  the  Bible  expressed  this  childish  idea,  that 
would  at  once  suggest  to  us  an  earthly  origin  for  the 
book ;  but  though  it  was  written  in  times  when  all  sorts 
of  queer  ideas  were  current,  yet  it  is  nowhere  contami- 
nated by  the  folly  of  the  times. 

Its  pure  stream  flows  unsullied  down  the  ages.  Its 
adherence  to  truth  is  so  close  and  unbroken  that  the 
lives  of  some  of  its  greatest  men  are  told  in  all  the 
sorrow  and  shame  of  their  sometime  lapses  into  sin. 

When  the  English  translators  a  few  centuries  ago 
rendered  the  Bible  into  English,  they  sometimes  used 
words  more  in  harmony  with  their  own  ideas  of  science 
and  theology  than  with  the  original  terms. 

One  example  of  this  is  found  in  the  first  chapter 
of  Genesis.     "God  made  the  firmament,  and  divided 

41 


42  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

the  waters  which  were  under  the  firmament  from  the 
waters  which  were  above  the  firmament."  Gen.  i :  7. 
Thus,  in  a  few  words,  the  Bible  records  the  creation 
of  that  which  scientific  men  call  the  atmosphere.  It 
gives  a  very  simple  description  of  a  very  complex 
thing,  yet  it  opens  the  very  heart  of  the  wonderful 
fact. 

This  scripture,  as  well  as  the  whole  narrative  of 
creation,  is  intended  for  the  instruction  of  all  mankind, 
and  not  of  the  learned  reader  only.  Also,  it  is  intended 
for  all  mankind  in  every  age  of  the  world's  history, 
no  matter  what  relative  knowledge  of  science  that  age 
may  possess. 

For  a  book  like  the  Bible,  addressed  to  the  souls  of 
all  mankind  whatever  their  educational  attainments, 
no  other  course  is  possible  or  permissible.  The  lan- 
guage must  be  so  simple,  must  so  touch  the  root  idea 
of  things,  that  any  man,  or  even  a  child,  can  gather 
some  knowledge  of  its  meaning.  At  the  same  time, 
the  wording  must  be  so  clear  and  pure  that  no  scien- 
tific attainments,  however  great,  shall  ever  be  able 
to  reveal  defect  in  it  or  to  supersede  it. 

Such,  we  shall  find,  is  this  statement  concerning  the 
creation  of  the  atmosphere. 

There  have  been  times  when  men  believed  and 
taught  that  the  earth  was  flat.  They  thought  then 
that  the  heavens  were  a  crystal  dome  resting  on  all 
sides  upon  the  firm  support  of  the  earth. 

And  some  men  in  our  days  seek  to  show  that  the 
w^ord  "firmament"  of  the  Scriptures  means  this  same 
thing.     One  writer,  greatly  impressed  with  his  own 


THE  A  TMOSPHERIC  HE  A  VENS  43 

narrow  conceptions  of  the  ancient  Book,  translates 
the  word  "hammered  plates."  In  so  doing,  he  shows 
more  invention  than  knowledge. 

The  word  raqia,  from  which  "firmament"  is  trans- 
lated, is  from  a  root  word  meaning  to  hammer  or 
pound.  The  idea  of  "plates"  is  not  in  the  original 
word.  It  was  wholly  supplied  by  this  modern  skeptic. 
To  hammer  metal  out  into  plates  is  to  cause  it  to  ex- 
pand; and  so  in  time  the  word  which  at  first  meant 
only  to  hammer,  came  to  mean  to  expand. 

Thus  in  the  Hebrew  language,  the  word  has  two 
meanings;  one,  to  hammer;  and  the  other,  to  expand. 
And  that  which  was  expanded  was  called  raqia,  an 
expanse.  But  not  once  in  the  Hebrew  Bible  does 
this  word  stand  for  our  two  English  words  "hammered 
plates."  In  fact,  there  is  no  such  expression  as  "ham- 
mered plates"  anywhere  in  the  Bible.  The  nearest 
like  it  are  the  terms  "beaten  gold"  and  "beaten  work" ; 
but  for  these,  entirely  diflferent  words  in  Hebrew  are 
used. 

The  only  suggestion,  in  the  Hebrew,  of  the  idea 
given  in  the  crude  translation  of  the  modern  critic  is 
found  in  two  expressions.  Thus  in  Ex.  30 :  3,  we  read 
of  gold  beaten  into  thin  plates.  But  here  the  root 
word  appears  in  order  to  represent  the  spreading  out 
of  the  metal  by  the  beating,  and  a  separate  word  is 
used  for  "plates."  The  other  example  is  Isa.  40 :  19, 
where  the  goldsmith  is  mentioned  as  spreading  an 
image  over  with  gold.  But  it  is  for  the  "spreading 
over"  that  the  root  word  is  here  used,  and  not  at  all 
for  the  metal,  which  is  indicated  by  another  word. 


44  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

One  can  readily  see  that  since  the  word  means  that 
which  is  expanded,  it  might  possibly  have  been  used 
to  designate  a  metal  plate  so  expanded;  yet  not  once 
has  inspiration  so  used  the  word. 

But  when  we  examine  the  term  "expanse"  as  ap- 
plied to  the  atmospheric  heavens,  we  discover  a  deep 
and  great  significance  to  it.  We  understand  that  air 
is  made  up  of  a  mixture  of  two  gases,  oxygen  and 
nitrogen;  and  we  know  that  all  gases  tend  to  expand 
unless  in  some  way  confined  or  restricted  in  space. 
Furthermore,  science  teaches  us  that  the  expansion 
of  any  gas  is  caused  by  the  hammering  upon  one  an- 
other of  the  atoms  of  which  the  gas  is  composed.  We 
do  not  aim  here  to  condone  the  atomic  theory;  but 
supposing  that  science  is  somewhat  right,  we  begin  to 
see  how  the  idea  of  "hammer"  might  come  into  the 
word  denoting  the  atmosphere.  All  matter,  and  par- 
ticularly gaseous  matter,  is  vibrant  with  force;  and 
force  is  but  the  energy  of  the  creative  word. 

When  God,  therefore,  wrapped  the  earth  about  with 
a  gaseous  envelope,  vibrant  under  the  constantly  im- 
pressed energy  of  the  word,  the  very  vibrating  and 
clashing  and  hammering  of  the  atoms  of  the  gases, 
particularly  under  the  heat  of  the  sun,  caused  these 
particles  to  seek  wider  room  and  thus  expand  until 
the  stress  of  expansion  was  in  perfect  balance  with  the 
restraining  stress  of  gravity. 

And  thus  it  is  even  to  this  day. 

We  can  picture  how,  when  God  created  the  con- 
stituent gases  of  the  air,  they  moved  out  into  a  great 
atmospheric  expanse,  to  the  bounds  fixed  for  it  by  the 


THE  A  TMO SPHERIC  HEA  VENS  45 

will  of  the  Creator.  Thus  we  have  a  hammered  ex- 
panse; for  the  particles  of  the  gases  have  been  ham- 
mered by  the  energy  of  the  creative  word.  And  we 
have  even  now  a  hammered  expanse;  for  the  power 
of  that  word  is  forever  active,  still  causing  the  parti- 
cles to  vibrate  and  thus  continue  to  maintain  the  ex- 
panse. The  first  impulse  from  God  created  the  air ;  the 
second  impulse  continues  and  maintains  it. 

We  do  not  deny,  for  it  is  true,  that  men  came  in  time 
to  think  of  the  sky  as  a  dome  of  crystal.  Thus  the 
Greeks  and  the  Romans  viewed  it.  The  Jews  even, 
by  contamination  with  the  heathen  —  and  the  New 
Testament  record  is  proof  enough  of  their  final 
apostasy  —  might  give  the  Scriptures  an  improper 
rendering.  But  this  is  all  apart  from  the  work  of  in- 
spiration. And  to-day  we  see  the  result  of  heathen 
ideas,  the  result  of  a  misunderstanding  of  the  works 
as  well  as  the  Word,  in  our  common  English  transla- 
tion of  the  word  raqia  by  "firmament,"  as  something 
firm  or  substantial. 

But  we  cannot  believe  that  Abraham  had  this  re- 
stricted idea  of  the  heavens  when  the  Lord  led  him 
abroad  at  night  and  revealed  to  him  that  the  stars  of 
the  sky  were  not  merely  a  few  thousand,  as  his  unaided 
eye  would  think,  but  that  they  were  as  numberless  as 
the  sands  of  the  ocean  shore.  They  were,  as  Abraham 
found  when  God  strengthened  his  sight,  beyond  the 
count  of  man.  How  could  such  a  conception  accord 
with  the  idea  of  some  shining  plates  holding  within 
their  walls  a  few  lights  ?  Leave  such  foolish  ideas  for 
the  heathen  to  hold,  but  charge  them  not  to  the  seer  of 


46  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

God.  When  Moses  speaks  of  "the  heaven  and  the 
heaven  of  heavens,"  he  is  saying,  according  to  the  real 
meaning  of  the  Hebrew,  '^the  lofty  and  the  lofty  of  the 
lofties" ;  and  by  this,  we  know  that  he  means  some- 
thing far  beyond  any  heathenish  idea  of  a  low  dome 
above  us.  Deut.  lo :  14.  The  prophet  Jeremiah  brings 
to  us  the  revelation  that  the  heavens  above  cannot  be 
measured  by  man  (Jer.  31 :  37)  ;  and  this  of  itself  dis- 
poses of  any  such  limitations  to  the  sky  as  the  heathen 
held.  Immediately  afterward  the  same  prophet  could 
appeal  to  this  might  of  God  in  creating  an  unmeasured 
expanse  above  us  and  about  us,  as  a  proof  of  God's 
omnipotence.  Jer.  32 :  17.  Men's  ideas  of  God's 
Word,  and  that  Word  itself,  are  quite  separate  things. 
Revelation  gives  us  the  truth  of  science,  the  real  fact, 
in  the  word  "expanse" ;  and  science  is  left  to  search 
out  the  details  which  revelation  thus  suggests.  Here 
we  see  again  the  concord  between  the  Bible  and  science, 
their  true  harmony. 

Last  of  all,  the  Scriptural  word  for  "atmosphere" 
is  better  than  the  one  that  science  gives.  The  lan- 
guage of  science  is  more  the  language  of  mere  appear- 
ance. Thus  books  on  astronomy  speak  of  "the  sun 
entering  Aries,"  by  which  they  do  not  mean  that  the 
sun  actually  enters  the  constellation  of  Aries,  but 
that  it  passes  a  certain  point  in  space,  called  "the  ver- 
nal equinox."  They  also  speak  of  the  conjunction  of 
heavenly  bodies,  but  do  not  mean  by  this  that  these 
bodies  actually  conjoin;  they  merely  appear  to  do  so. 
And  scientific  men,  nonscientific  men,  and  the  Bible 
also,  put  the  appearance  for  the  reality,  when  they 


THE  A  TMO  SPHERIC  HE  A  VENS  47 

speak  of  the  rising  and  the  setting  of  the  sun.  It  is 
perfectly  proper  to  use  such  an  expression;  for  we 
speak  of  the  phenomenon  only,  without  any  reference 
to  the  cause  producing  it.  To  do  otherwise  would  be 
to  place  upon  us  a  burden  that  neither  we  nor  our  lan- 
guage of  common  conversation  could  bear. 

We  have  said  that  the  Scriptural  name  for  the  at- 
mospheric heavens  is  a  better  word  than  that  given  by 
science;  and  so  it  is.  The  word  that  science  gives, 
means  "a  ball  of  vapor."  It  describes  the  appearance 
of  the  thing.  But  the  Bible  word  suggests  the  real 
condition  and  nature  by  using  the  word  "expanse," 
suggesting  to  us  the  inner  fact,  and  prompting  us  to 
learn  what  was  expanded,  and  what  caused  this  ex- 
panse. 

A  tree  is  known  by  its  fruit.  The  Word  of  God 
does  not  give  men  narrow,  foolish  ideas  of  even  this 
material  universe.  It  gives  us,  indeed,  the  mightiest 
of  spiritual  truths;  but  its  words  regarding  the  ma- 
terial creation,  though  fewer  and  briefer,  are  so  grand 
and  so  sublime  as  to  comport  with  the  first. 

The  Bible  has  given  the  germ  truth  of  all  the  great 
scientific  discoveries  of  these  modern  times.  As  we 
proceed  with  the  subject,  this  will  be  more  and  more 
clearly  discerned.  These  principles  of  the  Word  hold 
true  even  in  the  fields  of  mathematics,  physics,  chem- 
istry, and  biology.  If  men  had  used  the  truth  of  God's 
Word  as  a  basis  of  scientific  investigation,  there  would 
to-day  be  seen  a  far  better  state  of  affairs.  But  re- 
ligion, too  often,  has  been  made  the  means  of  fetter- 
ing men's  souls  rather  than  of  freeing  them.     This 


48  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

must  be  laid  at  the  door  of  bigotry  and  priestcraft.    It 
is  not  the  influence  of  the  Bible. 

Take  another  example  of  the  inerrancy  of  the  Word : 
Men  have  always  known  something  of  the  air.  It 
has  propelled  their  ships,  thrust  itself  against  the 
bodies  of  men,  and  overturned  their  works.  But  the 
great  reason  for  all  this,  the  great  principle  by  which 
these  atmospheric  phenomena  are  to  be  explained,  had 
never  once  entered  their  heads.  They  witnessed  even 
the  devastation  of  the  whirlwind,  but  never  once 
dreamed  that  weight  was  necessary  to  give  momentum. 
They  could  only  attribute  the  work  to  some  of  their 
idol  gods.  And  so  long  as  men  did  not  think  of  air's 
having  weight,  they  would  not,  of  course,  make  any 
investigations  in  that  direction.  At  last,  however,  the 
question  was  raised.  Men  asked,  Has  the  air  weight? 
How  this  question  first  arose,  no  one  now  can  say. 
Possibly  it  was  suggested  by  the  phenomena  them- 
selves. If  so,  the  facts  of  nature  were  pointing  men 
toward  the  truth.  Or  it  may  be  that  men  read  Job 
28:25,  and  then  went  to  nature  with  the  question.  If 
so,  it  was  the  Word  leading  men  to  the  facts  that  ex- 
plained the  truth  of  the  Word.  How  one  could  read 
this  text  in  Job  and  not  have  the  question  suggested, 
it  is  not  easy  to  understand.  But  in  some  way,  at 
last,  the  question  was  raised,  Has  the  air  weight? 

"During  the  earlier  period  of  the  revival  of  learn- 
ing in  Europe,  the  question  was  occasionally  discussed, 
and  was  always  decided  in  the  negative.  No  such 
pressure  could  be  felt.  All  experience  and  sensation 
seemed  to  be  opposed  to  the  idea  of  its  existence. 


A  Peculiar  Nebular  Formation  in  Cygnus 


4a 


Region  of  the  North  American  Nebula 

Vast  numbers  of  stars,  most  of  them  larger  than  our  sun,  that 

stagger  the  imagination,  and  overwhelm  the  reason.     In  their 

midst  is  the  weird,  mystic  nebula.     Note  the  peculiar  outlines 

that  give  it  the  name. 


THE  A  TMO  SPHERIC  HE  A  VENS  49 

"Men  were  everywhere  using  their  rude  devices  for 
raising  water  in  pumps,  without  the  least  idea  of  what 
they  were  doing.  The  action  that  was  taking  place 
before  their  eyes  never  entered  into  their  compre- 
hension. If  any  one  had  told  them  that,  in  raising  a 
pump  bucket,  they  were  lifting  a  portion  of  the  weight 
of  the  atmosphere  from  the  water  under  the  bucket, 
so  that  the  excess  of  this  pressure,  exerted  on  the  sur- 
face of  the  water  in  the  well,  would  force  the  column 
of  water  in  the  pump  barrel  up  after  the  bucket,  there 
were  centuries  when  such  a  teacher  would  have  been 
in  danger  of  being  burned  up. 

"This,  with  all  similar  phenomena,  was  explained 
by  the  dictum  that  nature  abhors  a  vacuum.  This 
nonsense  passed  for  science  through  many  ages.  It 
is  interesting  to  recall  the  long  period  during  which 
this  was  assumed  as  an  axiom  that  no  one  dared  to 
question.  .  .  . 

"The  raising  of  the  question  whether  the  atmos- 
phere might  have  weight,  was  itself  a  notable  event, 
as  marking  the  beginning  of  scientific  inquiry.  But 
an  experiment  was  made,  which  was  long  regarded 
among  the  learned  as  settling  this  question  in  the  nega- 
tive. This  experiment  consisted  in  weighing  a  bladder, 
when  distended  with  air  and  when  empty.  No  differ- 
ence could  ever  be  detected." 

Men  did  not  see  the  fallacy  of  this  experiment. 

"This  fallacy  lay  in  the  unobserved  fact  that  the 
bladder  was  filled  with,  and  immersed  in,  the  same 
fluid.  Whether  full,  or  approximately  empty,  it  always 
displaced,  in  addition  to  its  own  proper  bulk,  very 


50  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

nearly  the  same  weight  of  air  that  it  contained.  A 
similar  experiment  would  just  as  well  prove  water,  or 
even  mercury,  to  be  without  weight.  So  this  great 
fact  was  hidden  from  men.  Copernicus,  Galileo,  died 
without  the  sight." 

Though  God  had  said,  ages  before,  that  He  had 
given  to  the  air  weight  (Job  28:  25),  men  trusted  the 
result  of  their  own  blind  guess  instead  of  the  infallible 
Word  of  God.    So  they  were  still  in  error. 

"In  endeavoring  to  raise  water  from  a  deep  well  in 
Florence,  it  was  found  possible  to  lift  it  only  about 
thirty-two  feet,  which  led  Galileo  to  observe  that 
nature,  evidently,  did  not  abhor  a  vacuum  above  thirty- 
two  feet.  Dying,  Galileo  commended  the  investigation 
of  this  subject  to  his  pupil  and  successor,  Torricelli. 
The  reflections  of  TorricelH  led  him  to  the  conviction 
that  the  atmosphere  must  have  weight  [he  had  found 
the  true  theory,  the  one  given  in  the  Bible],  and  that 
it  must  be  by  its  pressure  that  the  water  was  caused 
to  rise  in  the  pump  barrel.  In  considering  how  this 
question  might  be  tested,  he  at  last  thought  of  mer- 
cury. This  substance,  between  thirteen  and  fourteen 
times  heavier  than  water,  would  be  caused  by  the  same 
pressure,  if  it  existed,  to  rise  only  about  thirty  inches. 
So  he  reasoned  that,  by  the  employment  of  mercury, 
the  existence  or  nonexistence  of  this  pressure  might 
be  shown  in  a  glass  tube. 

"It  is  interesting  to  imagine  the  feelings  of  this 
philosopher  when  preparing  for  this  experiment,  which 
was  so  remarkable  at  once  for  its  simplicity,  its  con- 
clusiveness,  and   its   importance.      It   was   almost   as 


THE  A  TMO SPHERIC  HEA  VENS  61 

simple  as  that  of  standing  the  tgg  on  its  end,  yet  no 
other  finite  mind  had  conceived  it.  Was  it  with 
trembhng  expectation,  or  in  the  calmness  of  conscious 
strength,  that  he  filled  with  mercury  his  glass  tube, 
four  feet  in  length,  sealed  at  one  end,  placed  his 
finger  over  the  open  end,  inverted  the  tube,  plunged 
the  open  end  in  a  vessel  half  filled  with  mercury,  and 
then  —  removed  his  finger  ? 

**What  were  the  emotions  with  which  he  saw  the 
column  of  mercury  fall,  and,  after  completing  the  os- 
cillations produced  by  its  momentum,  stand  at  a  height 
of  between  twenty-nine  and  thirty  inches,  in  equilibrium 
with  the  pressure  of  the  atmosphere  on  the  same  area 
of  the  mercury  in  the  vessel;  or  with  which  he  realized 
the  fact  that  the  glass  tube  above  the  column  of  mer- 
cury inclosed  the  absolute  void,  then  first  obtained  by 
man,  since  only  approximations  to  it  could  be  reached 
in  the  pump  barrel,  and  which  was  ever  after  to  be 
known  as  the  Torricellian  vacuum !  And  what  would 
his  emotions  have  been  if  he  could  have  imagined  — 
what,  indeed,  no  one  can  adequately  conceive  —  the 
influence  that  this  discovery  was  to  exert  in  prompting 
the  industries  and  the  civilization  of  his  race! 

"The  discovery  of  the  pressure  of  the  atmosphere 
is  one  of  those  discoveries  by  which  the  boundary  of 
human  knowledge  has  been  enlarged  in  a  remarkable 
degree.  It  was  a  radical  discovery;  and  out  of  it 
there  have  sprung  an  endless  series  of  discoveries  and 
inventions,  which,  while  they  have  contributed  to  an 
incalculable  measure  to  the  welfare  of  man,  have  at 
the  same  time  still  further  added  to  the  extent  of  his 


52  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

knowledge  and  the  power  of  his  understanding." — 
Charles  Talbot  Porter. 

We  know  that  the  weight,  or  down  pressure,  of  the 
air,  is  enormous.  Its  pressure,  or  weight,  is  about 
fifteen  pounds  to  the  square  inch,  or  over  a  ton  for 
each  square  foot  of  the  earth's  surface.  This  is  not 
felt;  for  it  is  through  us  as  well  as  about  us;  we  are 
immersed  in  it.  The  whole  pressure  of  the  air  on  the 
surface  of  the  earth,  expressed  in  tons,  would  require 
sixteen  digits.  In  round  numbers,  we  may  say,  it  is 
five  thousand  milHons  of  millions  of  tons;  or  if  you 
want  it  more  exactly,  it  is  close  to  5,517,823,961,480,- 
000  tons. 

Thus  we  know  that  the  weight  of  the  air  is  tremen- 
dous. God  gave  air  this  weight.  He  regulated  it 
with  mathematical  nicety  to  our  needs.  And  He  did 
not  leave  us  in  ignorance  of  the  fact,  but  told  us  of  it 
in  His  Word.  The  air  binds  the  earth  with  an  elastic 
hoop.  If  God  were  to  unclasp  this  air  from  about 
the  earth,  and  take  off  this  enormous  pressure,  would 
not  the  pent-up  forces  within  the  earth  break  forth? 
Some  day  He  will  remove  it,  as  one  removes  the  peel- 
ing from  an  orange.  Some  day  it  will  be  rolled  to- 
gether as  a  scroll.  Rev.  6:  14.  What  about  your 
science  then?  Will  you,  with  all  your  science,  be 
founded  on  His  immutable  Word?  If  so,  you  may 
look  calmly  up,  in  that  awful  hour,  and  say.  We  will 
not  fear,  "though  the  earth  be  removed,  and  though 
the  mountains  be  carried  into  the  midst  of  the  sea; 
though  the  waters  thereof  roar  and  be  troubled,  though 
the  mountains  shake  with  the  swelling  thereof." 


CHAPTER  V 

The  Power  of  Gravitation 

THE  work  of  Sir  Isaac  Newton  in  ascertaining 
that  there  is  in  the  universe  a  mysterious  force 
acting  between  all  particles  of  matter,  regard- 
less of  how  remote,  and  his  work  in  measuring  the 
pull  of  this  power  between  given  bodies,  is  something 
no  man  should  belittle.  What  he  accomplished  speaks 
for  itself  in  the  gigantic  results  that  have  followed. 

Yet  this  was  but  a  development  of  things  already 
grasped  by  the  inquiring  mind  of  man.  For  years, 
men  had  used  pumps ;  but  had  they  been  told  that  the 
mechanism  of  the  pump,  thoroughly  understood,  would 
explain  the  force  operating  between  the  heavenly 
bodies,  the  announcement  would  have  been  met  with 
absolute  incredulity.  Yet  solving  the  problem  of  the 
pump  led  to  the  discovery  of  the  fact  that  air  has 
weight;  and  from  this,  men  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  all  things  have  weight.  But  this  is  universal 
gravitation,  only  put  in  other  words. 

"Out  of  pumps  grew  the  discussion  about  nature's 
abhorrence  of  a  vacuum;  and  then  it  was  discovered 

53 


54  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

that  nature  does  not  abhor  a  vacuum,  but  that  air  has 
weight ;  and  that  notion  paved  the  way  for  the  doctrine 
that  all  matter  has  weight,  and  that  the  force  which 
produces  weight  is  coextensive  with  the  universe, —  in 
short,  to  the  theory  of  universal  gravitation  and  end- 
less force." —  Thomas  Huxley. 

We  have  found  in  the  Word  an  announcement  that 
air  has  weight.  Since  the  truth  of  a  coextensive  force 
lies  in  that  revelation,  it  follows  that  so  far,  at  least, 
gravity  is  pointed  out.  But  the  Scriptures  are  plainer 
and  more  explicit  regarding  gravity  than  this ;  for  that 
there  is  such  a  force  is  more  than  once  declared. 

The  Bible  places  before  us  a  very  striking  picture. 
The  apothecary,  in  filling  a  prescription,  or  in  com- 
pounding a  mixture,  first  measures  out  the  materials. 
He  then  knows  in  just  what  proportion  the  ingredients 
are  used,  and  the  combined  weight  of  the  whole. 

That  such  a  picture  with  reference  to  the  Creator 
should  be  given  us  in  the  Word  of  God  ages  before 
the  so-called  discovery  of  Newton,  is  most  significant. 
The  Creator  is  represented  as  weighing  out  and 
measuring,  when  He  established  the  universe,  all  the 
elements  that  enter  into  it.  He  is  represented  as  know- 
ing the  weight  of  all  the  different  parts  of  the  earth, 
even  as  a  man  knows  the  weight  of  the  parcels  he 
places  in  the  scales. 

''For  He  looketh  to  the  ends  of  the  earth,  and  seeth 
under  the  whole  heaven."  Why  does  the  Creator  do 
this? — "To  make  the  weight  for  the  winds;  and  He 
weigheth  the  waters  by  measure."  Job  28 :  24,  25. 
"He  made  a  law  for  the  rain,  and  a  way  for  the  sound- 


THE  POWER  OF  GRAVITATION  55 

ing  storms."  Job  28:26,  Douay  version.  Again: 
"Who  hath  measured  the  waters  in  the  hollow  of  his 
hand,  and  meted  out  heaven  with  the  span,  and  com- 
prehended the  dust  of  the  earth  in  a  measure,  and 
weighed  the  mountains  in  scales,  and  the  hills  in  a  bal- 
ance?"   Isa.  40:  12. 

This  is  but  one  aspect  of  the  great  law  of  gravita- 
tion. Scientists  now  see  that  any  atom  of  the  uni- 
verse is  assigned  to  its  place  with  a  recognition  of 
what  effect  it  will  have  on  every  other  atom,  and 
what  effect  every  other  atom  will  have  upon  it.  With 
all  other  parts  of  the  universe  as  they  are,  and  the 
earth's  orbit  of  the  size  and  in  the  relative  position  that 
it  is,  the  weight  of  the  earth  could  not  be  increased 
or  made  less  without  most  serious  consequences  not 
only  to  the  earth  but  to  the  whole  universe. 

Let  us  look  more  closely  at  this  matter  for  a  mo- 
ment. Suppose  the  earth  to  have  its  present  distance 
from  the  sun,  and  its  present  orbital  velocity  of  motion. 

According  to  the  first  law  of  motion,  a  moving  body 
left  to  itself  moves  forever  in  a  straight  Hne,  with  a 
uniform  velocity. 

Now  the  earth  has  been  set  in  motion  with  a  velo- 
city of  about  eleven  hundred  miles  a  minute.  But  as 
has  been  said,  if  left  to  itself,  the  earth  would  move 
in  a  straight  line. 

However,  the  earth  does  not  move  in  a  straight  line, 
but  instead,  moves  in  a  path  nearly  circular,  or  what 
is  called  a  closed  orbit.  The  attraction  of  the  sun  is 
the  force  that  deflects  the  earth  from  a  straight  path 
and  gives  it  this  orbital  direction. 


56  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

But  the  attraction  of  the  sun  is  determined,  outside 
of  the  sun  itself,  by  the  amount  of  matter  in  the  earth. 
If  there  were  somewhat  less  matter  in  the  earth  than 
there  is  —  that  is,  if  the  earth  weighed  slightly  less 
than  it  does  now  —  its  orbital  velocity  being  as  now, 
the  attractive  power  exerted  by  the  sun  would  be 
weaker  than  it  is  now,  and  the  earth  would  not  be 
sufficiently  deflected  to  move  in  a  closed  orbit  around 
the  sun. 

With  every  revolution,  the  earth  would  be  farther 
away  from  the  sun,  until  at  last,  breaking  away  from 
the  sun's  control,  it  would  fly  out  on  a  career  of  its 
own  into  the  wilds  of  space. 

If,  on  the  other  hand,  the  earth  weighed  slightly 
more  than  it  does  at  present,  and  its  orbital  velocity 
were  unchanged  from  what  it  is  now,  the  attractive 
power  of  the  sun  would  be  greater  than  it  is  at  present, 
and  the  earth  would  be  deflected  inside  of  its  present 
orbit. 

At  each  revolution,  it  would  approach  nearer  and 
nearer  the  sun,  until  eventually,  with  a  frightful  speed, 
it  would  crash  into  the  great  central  luminary. 

But  either  of  these  supposed  circumstances  could 
but  work  ruin  with  all  other  parts  of  the  solar  system. 
And  what  happens  in  the  solar  system  must  be  felt  to 
the  outermost  bounds  of  the  unfathomable  universe. 
If  one  member  suffers,  all  others  must  suffer  with  it. 

The  universe,  grand  and  infinite  as  it  is  in  its  ex- 
panse, nevertheless  is  a  unit.  And  it  is  made  a  unit 
by  this  power  which  acts  between  all  its  component 
parts.     This  force  is  the  hand  of  God,  so  to  speak, 


THE  PO  WER  OF  GRA  VITA  TION  57 

which  holds  each  element  of  the  whole  in  its  relative 
place,  and  guides  all  in  their  infinite  paths. 

The  Word  declares  that,  even  as  men  have  now 
found,  the  earth  hangs  on  nothing.  "He  stretcheth 
out  the  north  over  the  empty  place,  and  hangeth  the 
earth  upon  nothing."  Job  26 : 7.  But  it  is  just  as  ex- 
plicit in  declaring  that  the  earth  is  nevertheless  up- 
held. Furthermore,  it  declares  that  all  things  as  well 
are  upheld.  And  it  even  affirms  how  the  earth  and  all 
things  are  upheld.  Scientists  are  right  in  attributing 
this  work  to  a  force.  So  the  Bible  attributes  it;  but 
the  Bible  goes  a  step  farther,  and  gives  the  cause  and 
origin  of  this  force,  ascribing  it  to  the  word  of  al- 
mighty God.  ''Upholding  all  things  by  the  word  of 
His  power"    Heb.  i :  3. 

When  we  read  the  scriptures  in  Isaiah  where  God 
is  represented  as  measuring  the  waters,  meting  out 
the  heavens,  comprehending  the  dust  of  the  earth,  and 
weighing  the  mountains  and  the  hills;  when  we  read 
that  He  not  only  measured  these,  but  determined  their 
specific  gravity  and  total  weight  (Job  28:25;  38:4-7; 
Hab.  3:6), —  we  are  so  struck  with  the  greatness  of 
the  Creator,  that  all  other  ideas  in  the  Scriptures  seem 
to  fade  out  of  view.  We  find  it  so  great  a  revelation 
of  God,  that  we  stop  with  that  revelation,  and  go  no 
farther.  But  that  is  not  all  there  is  in  the  disclosure. 
As  we  have  seen,  the  fundamental  truth  of  universal 
gravity  is  included  in  the  greater  revelation  of  God. 

When,  on  the  other  hand,  we  study  what  science  has 
done,  we  see  only  the  great  revelation  of  gravity;  and 
looking  no  farther,  we  fail  to  see  a  revelation  of  God 


&8  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

But  it  was  not  designed  that,  having  seen  the  workings 
of  infinite  power,  we  should  cease  our  investigations, 
until  we  had  come  to  the  all-sufficient  source  of  that 
infinite  power. 

Thus  viewing  the  Word,  we  have  seen  the  God  of 
power,  but  have  failed  to  study  the  workings  of  that 
power;  and  viewing  the  workings  of  that  power,  we 
have  failed  to  perceive  the  God  of  the  power.  Which 
mistake  is  the  greater,  we  need  not  discuss.  God 
meant  us  to  make  neither.  A  free  knowledge  of  God 
must  in  time  lead  us  to  a  knowledge  of  His  workings ; 
and  an  ignorance  of  God,  as  in  the  Dark  Ages,  must 
produce  ignorance  of  His  workings  —  that  is,  stagna- 
tion in  science  and  in  scientific  researches. 

But  let  no  one  think  that  any  theory  of  gravitation 
will  be  complete  which  leaves  out  of  consideration  the 
great  Primal  Cause.  That  there  are  absurdities  as  well 
as  things  beyond  human  conception  in  the  hypothesis 
scientists  have  adopted  with  reference  to  this  power, 
all  scientists  know. 

How  some  of  them  feel  about  these  difficulties  is 
well  stated  in  the  following  words: 

**We  must  not  imagine  the  word  'attract'  to  mean 
too  much.  It  merely  states  the  fact  that  there  is  a 
tendency  for  the  bodies  to  move  toward  each  other, 
without  including  or  implying  any  explanation  of  the 
fact.  So  far,  no  explanation  has  appeared  which  is 
less  difficult  to  comprehend  than  the  fact  itself. 
Whether  bodies  are  drawn  together  by  some  outside 
action,  or  pushed  together ;  or  whether  they  themselves 
can  act  across  space  with  mathematical  intelligence, — 


THE  POWER  OF  GRAVITATION  59 

in  what  way  it  is  that  'attraction'  comes  about, —  is 
still  unknown, —  apparently  as  inscrutable  as  the  very 
nature  and  constitution  of  an  atom  of  matter  itself; 
it  is  simply  a  fundamental  fact." —  Young's  "General 
Astronomy." 

The  Bible  has  its  part  in  revealing  the  truth  of  the 
attraction  of  gravitation.     It  declares: 

1.  That  there  is  such  a  power; 

2.  That  it  upholds  all  things;  and  — 

3.  That  the  causative  agent  is  the  word  of  God. 
On  these  three  points  it  stands,  above  all  science  and 

scientific  research;  and  it  always  must,  in  the  very 
nature  of  the  case,  so  stand.  Science  only  shows  its 
utter  folly  and  weakness  when  it  attempts  to  enter  this 
domain  of  the  Word  with  any  other  doctrines  and 
philosophies. 

But  in  that  matter  of  the  study  of  gravity,  science 
has  its  lawful  and  helpful  place.  There  are  some  facts 
involved  in  the  great  principle  announced  in  the  Word. 
Just  what  these  facts  are  cannot  be  ascertained  by  a 
study  of  the  Word  alone,  or  by  the  Word  at  all;  they 
are  not  there  revealed.  Only  the  truth  is  there  re- 
vealed; the  facts  are  revealed  elsewhere.  The  facts 
must  be  found  by  a  study  of  the  works.  And  only  by 
a  study  of  the  works  can  they  be  found. 

The  facts  which  science  may  discover  and  announce, 
and  which,  indeed,  it  has  found  and  made  known,  are 
two:  namely,  that  this  force  of  attraction  between 
particles  is  (i)  directly  proportioned  to  the  mass  of 
the  attracting  particles,  and  (2)  inversely  proportioned 
to  the  square  of  the  distance  between  them. 


60  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

The  first  fact  may  be  stated  thus :  The  power  acting 
between  bodies  of  equal  mass  increases  when  the  num- 
ber of  particles  is  increased,  and  decreases  when  the 
number  of  particles  decreases.  That  is,  the  power  act- 
ing is  always  proportioned  to  the  number  or  mass  of 
the  particles  it  acts  upon. 

As  to  the  second  fact:  When  we  increase  the  distance 
between  particles,  we  decrease  the  pull  between  them; 
and  when  we  decrease  the  distance  between  particles, 
we  increase  the  pull.  That  is,  the  pull  is  inversely 
proportioned  to  the  square  of  the  distance  between  the 
things  pulled. 

These  tzvo  facts,  and  what  they  mean,  are  well  stated 
by  Henry  White  Warren,  D.  D.  We  make  a  slight 
change  in  the  wording,  to  fit  our  purpose.  "The  laws 
governing  this  attraction  are  two.  When  these  par- 
ticles are  associated  together,  the  attraction  is  in  pro- 
portion to  the  mass.  A  given  mass  pulls  twice  as  much 
as  one  half  the  size,  because  there  is  twice  as  much  to 
pull.  And  a  given  mass  is  pulled  twice  as  much  as 
one  half  as  large,  because  there  is  twice  as  much  to  be 
pulled.  A  man  who  weighed  one  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds  on  the  earth  might  weigh  a  ton  and  a  half  on 
a  body  as  large  as  the  sun.  That  is  one  law  of  attrac- 
tion; and  the  other  is,  that  masses  attract  inversely  as 
the  square  of  distance  between  them.  Absence  affects 
friendships  that  have  a  material  basis.  If  a  body  like 
the  earth  pulls  a  man  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds 
at  the  surface,  or  four  thousand  miles  from  the  center, 
it  will  pull  the  same  man  one  fourth  as  much  at  twice 
the  distance.    That  is,  he  will  weigh,  by  a  spring  bal- 


THE  POWER  OF  GRAVITATION  61 

ance,  thirty-seven  and  a  half  pounds  at  eight  thousand 
miles  from  the  center,  and  nine  pounds  six  ounces  at 
sixteen  thousand  miles  from  the  center,  and  he  will 
weigh  or  be  pulled  by  the  earth  one  twenty-fourth  of 
a  pound  at  the  distance  of  the  moon.  But  the  moon 
would  be  large  enough  and  near  enough  to  pull  twenty- 
four  pounds  on  the  same  man,  so  the  earth  could  not 
draw  him  away.  Thus  the  two  laws  of  attraction  are : 
(i)  Gravity  is  proportioned  to  the  quantity  of  matter; 
and  (2)  The  force  of  gravity  varies  inversely  as  the 
square  of  the  distance  from  the  center  of  the  attract- 
ing body." 

Now  these  two  facts  belong  to  the  domain  of  science. 
Men  are  left  entirely  free  to  know  all  that  they  may 
be  able  to  discover  regarding  these.  The  Bible  is 
utterly  silent  relative  to  them. 

But  to  the  three  points  which  revelation  declares, 
science  is  allowed  to  add  all  that  it  may  by  way  of 
illustration.  Man  is  invited  to  reecho  the  words  of 
God  by  working.  The  Bible  says  (i)  that  there  is  a 
universal  force  acting  in  the  universe,  and  (2)  that  it 
upholds  all  things,  and  (3)  that  it  is  due  to  the  power 
of  the  word  of  God.  Science  may  in  any  legitimate 
manner  reaffirm  and  reecho  these  truths  of  God.  But 
the  two  facts  discoverable  by  science,  the  Bible  in  no 
way  attempts  to  state  or  name.  In  other  words,  the 
Word  invites  confirmation  of  its  statements,  but  leaves 
science  entirely  free  in  the  investigations  which  belong 
to  its  own  peculiar  domain. 

Thus  there  are  two  fields  of  knowledge, —  one  for 
revelation,  the  other  for  science.    There  should  be  no 


62  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

conflict  between  them.     Each  is  helpful  to  the  other, 
and  each  sheds  light  upon  the  other. 

And  this  is  an  example  of  all  other  fields  of  knowl- 
edge. God  has  done  His  part,  and  done  it  so  well  that 
no  man  can  in  truth  condemn  or  amend  it.  He  gives 
man  also  a  part  to  act,  and  a  field  of  knowledge  to 
work,  to  which  the  Word  will  give  him  infinite  aid, 
but  in  which  he  is  left  by  it  profoundly  free.  And  as 
man  labors,  acting  well  his  part,  he  may  some  day 
come  to  know  that  he  is  even  thus  a  laborer  together 
with  God,  and  that  in  this  wider  knowledge  lies  a 
broader  liberty. 


*. 

' ,  *Akor 

* 

4 

810 

*■•♦■^ 

DlPPEft 

^*-* 


CHAPTER  VI 

The  Transfer  of  Energy 

THE  book  of  Job  contains  many  references  to 
the  things  of  the  material  world.  The  Creator, 
in  the  closing  chapters  of  the  book,  lays  before 
the  puzzled  Job  some  of  the  fundamental  problems  of 
science.    The  reason  of  this  is  easily  discovered. 

Job  had  been  sorely  afflicted.  Bereft  of  family  and 
all  earthly  possessions,  suffering  of  a  loathsome  dis- 
ease, he  is  at  length  visited  by  three  of  his  friends. 
The  three  know  but  one  philosophy :  Suffering  is 
always  on  account  of  sin,  and  is  ministered  in  exact 
proportion  to  the  enormity  of  that  sin.  If  a  man  is 
well  and  prosperous,  that  is  evidence  of  his  righteous- 
ness; if  he  is  afflicted,  that  is  proof  of  his  sin. 

The  three  do  not  see  in  Job  any  semblance  to  his 
former  self.  They  lift  up  their  voices  and  weep,  rend 
their  mantles,  sprinkle  dust  upon  their  heads,  sit  down 
upon  the  ground  seven  days  and  seven  nights,  offering 
not  a  word. 

At  last,  the  suft'ering  of  Job  becomes  so  great  that 
he  curses  the  day  wherein  he  was  born.     The  three 

63 


64  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

listen  to  him  for  a  time;  but  eventually  their  pent-up 
feelings  find  vent,  and  their  philosophy  that  suffering 
is  always  visited  because  of  sins  committed,  is  poured 
out  in  words  and  figures  and  arguments  in  overwhelm- 
ing confusion  upon  the  miserable  Job.  "Who  ever 
perished,"  say  they,  "being  innocent?  or  where  were 
the  righteous  cut  off?  .  .  .  They  that  plow  iniquity, 
and  sow  wickedness,  reap  the  same." 

But  Job  knows  that  such  philosophy  is  not  complete ; 
he  knows,  even  as  the  facts  in  the  case  attest,  that  their 
words  do  not  apply  to  him.  Nevertheless  he  is  groping 
in  the  dark.  He  does  not  understand  the  meaning  of 
his  condition.  He  knows,  however,  that  he  is  innocent 
of  any  evil  intent  or  deed.  Then  begins  the  long  and 
heated  argument.  The  three  counselors  are  silenced 
at  last,  and  a  fourth,  named  Elihu,  attempts  still  fur- 
ther to  clear  the  mystery. 

None  of  Job's  comforters  would  admit  that  the 
innocent  could  suffer,  or  the  righteous  be  afflicted. 
The  bright  light  from  the  cross  had  not  as  yet  lighted 
the  mystery.  In  Christ,  we  see  the  innocent  afflicted, 
and  the  upright  suffering  death.  Job  was,  though  he 
knew  it  not,  but  filling  up  "of  the  afflictions  of  Christ." 
Col.  1 :  24.  All  unconsciously,  he  was  fellowshiping 
in  the  sufferings  of  Jesus. 

Then  when  Job's  darkness  had  grown  most  intense, 
and  the  problem  of  his  condition  seemed  incapable  of 
a  solution,  God  appeared.  In  His  address  to  Job,  He 
taught  the  afflicted  man  that  this  mystery  of  the  inno- 
cent suffering  for  the  guilty  was  only  one  of  the  many 
great  problems  that  confronted  the  pygmy  mind  of  man. 


The  Land  of  the  Midnight  Sun 
As  the  earth  might  appear  if  one  could  only  "stand  off" 
look  at  it  when  the  sun  is  "farthest  north." 


A  Typical  Sun  Spot  —  Highly  jMagnified 
Photographed  from  a  drawing  by  Scriven  Bolton. 


THE  TRANSFER  OF  ENERGY  65 

In  imagination,  He  carried  him  back  to  creation's 
morning,  then  out  into  the  great  universe,  and  finally 
brought  him  to  the  simplest,  most  familiar  things  of 
the  world  about  him,  causing  him  to  realize  that  every- 
where are  questions  unanswered  and  problems  un- 
solved—  mysteries  too  high  for  man's  mind  in  this 
his  infant  state  and  in  these  his  few  years  of  sojourn. 

But  if  he  could  not  solve  intellectually  the  problems 
of  his  life.  Job,  face  to  face  with  the  Creator,  could 
realize  God's  love  and  goodness,  and  at  once  resigned 
himself  to  the  peace  and  holy  shelter  of  the  ever- 
lasting arms. 

The  Creator's  questions  to  Job  call  to  our  minds 
some  of  the  mysteries  all  about  us.  These  mysteries 
mean,  first  of  all,  that  there  is  still  something  more 
for  us  to  learn,  a  mine  of  riches  as  yet  all  unexplored. 
These  mysteries  should  teach  us  modesty,  and  produce 
in  us,  while  we  grope  and  ponder,  a  willingness  to  wait 
for  the  full  unfolding  of  the  truth. 

Much  has  been  said  and  written  concerning  light. 
Many  think  it  is  quite  fully  understood.  But  it  is 
not.  In  some  of  its  simplest  aspects,  it  is  still  a  pro- 
found, impenetrable  mystery.  God,  when  He  appeared 
to  Job,  asked  him  the  still  unanswered  question,  "By 
what  way  is  the  hght  distributed  ?"  Job  38 :  24,  literal 
translation. 

Some  in  our  day  would  say  that  the  answer  to  this 
question  is  very  simple.  "Light  is  distributed,"  they 
say,  "by  vibrations,  or  waves,  in  the  luminiferous 
ether."  And  then  this  lucid  definition  is  explained 
somewhat  as  follows: 


66  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

As  a  pebble,  dropped  in  water,  causes  ripples  in  the 
water  to  travel  outward  across  the  surface,  so  notes 
and  tones  cause  vibrations,  or  waves,  in  the  atmos- 
phere; and  these,  reaching  the  ear,  set  up  a  vibration 
of  the  drum  of  the  ear,  causing  at  last  a  sensation  of 
sound.  In  a  similar  manner,  a  vibration  in  the  ether, 
reaching  at  last  the  eyes,  gives  one  the  sensation 
of  light. 

But  all  this  being  said  and  understood,  the  fact  still 
remains  that  no  one  can  explain  how  light  reaches 
across  an  intervening""  space.  We  cannot,  even  now, 
with  all  our  boasted  science,  answer  the  question  God 
addressed  to  Job;  and  the  conviction  grows  that  it  is 
unanswerable  —  the  simple  question,  "By  what  way 
is  the  light  distributed?" 

And  this  mystery  of  the  transfer  of  light  is  also 
the  mystery  of  the  transfer  of  gravity,  electricity,  heat, 
and  all  radiant  forces  whatsoever.  We  know,  in  some 
measure,  what  these  forces  do;  but  how  they  do  it  is 
a  question  as  yet  very  imperfectly  answered. 

'*We  must  carefully  bear  in  mind  that  the  origin  of 
phenomena  is  not  explained  because,  in  the  language 
of  science,  they  have  been  referred  to  an  assumed  force 
with  a  high-sounding  name.  Names  are  not  things; 
and  we  know  nothing  more  of  the  cause  which  brings 
the  apple  to  the  ground  because  Newton  has  called  it 
the  force  of  gravitation,  than  we  did  before.  He  gave 
us  the  law  of  motion,  and  showed  us  the  formula  of 
its  working,  and  enabled  us  to  predict  how  every  apple 
would  fall,  and  how  every  planet  would  move  through- 
out space;  but  the  cause  of  the  motion  is  as  closely 


THE  TRANSFER  OF  ENERGY  67 

hidden  as  ever.  In  regard  to  the  law  of  gravitation 
we  know  a  great  deal;  but  in  regard  to  the  force  of 
gravitation  —  whatever  we  may  think  or  believe  about 
it  —  we  know  absolutely  nothing,  and  the  same  is  true 
of  every  other  force." — Josiah  Parsons  Cooke,  Erving 
professor  of  chemistry  and  mineralogy  in  Harvard 
University. 

Newton,  over  and  over  again,  insisted  that  he  had 
nothing  to  do  with  gravitation  as  a  physical  cause. 
He  said:  "How  these  attractions  of  gravity,  magnet- 
ism, and  electricity  may  be  performed,  I  do  not  here 
consider.  What  I  call  attraction  may  be  performed  by 
impulse  or  by  some  other  means  unknown  to  me.  I 
use  the  word  here  to  signify  only  in  a  general  way  any 
force  by  which  bodies  tend  toward  one  another,  what- 
ever be  the  cause." — "Optics/'  query  ji. 

"Newton  assuredly  lent  no  shadow  of  support  to 
the  modern  pseudo  scientific  philosophy  which  con- 
founds laws  and  causes." — Huxley. 

"All  we  know  about  the  force  of  gravitation,  or  any 
other  so-called  force,  is  that  it  is  a  name  for  the  hypo- 
thetical cause  of  an  observed  order  of  facts." — Huxley. 

Huxley  calls  this  force  a  hypothetical  cause.  "Hypo- 
thetical" has  reference  to  a  hypothesis ;  it  is  something 
"assumed  without  a  proof,  for  the  purpose  of  reason- 
ing and  deducing  proof."  But  a  hypothetical  cause 
is,  in  the  absolute  sense,  no  cause  at  all.  Forces  are 
not  causes;  for  they  themselves  in  turn  must  be  ac- 
counted for.  Notice  how  it  works:  Bodies  tend  to 
move  toward  each  other;  what  is  the  cause?  "The 
force  of  gravitation,"  says  the  scientist.    But  what  is 


68  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

this  force? — "It  is  the  force  which  draws  bodies  to- 
ward each  other."  But  how  does  this  force  produce 
this  effect?  Coming  back  to  our  first  question,  what 
is  the  cause  of  this  attraction?  Our  question  remains 
unanswered.  While  we  search  for  the  cause,  the 
pseudo-scientist  continues  to  repeat  his  formula, 
"Bodies  are  attracted  toward  one  another  by  the  force 
of  gravity;  and  the  force  of  gravity  is  that  which 
draws  them  together."  He  ends  where  he  began,  and 
he  begins  where  he  ended.    He  is  reasoning  in  a  circle. 

"It  is  certain  that  light  consists  in  the  transference 
of  energy,  not  of  matter;  and  the  undulatory  theory 
is  based  upon  this  fact.  But  as  to  the  manner  in 
which  energy  is  thus  transferred,  we  are  entirely  ig- 
norant."— "International  Cyclopedia,"  article  "Undu- 
latory Theory  of  Light." 

How  do  light  and  the  force  of  gravitation  travel 
across  the  abyss  of  space?  In  the  words  of  God  to 
Job,  "By  what  way  is  the  light  distributed  ?"  Scientists 
cannot  tell.  The  theory  that  light  travels  by  vibrations 
in  the  light-bearing  ether  does  not  explain  it.  The 
theory,  in  its  very  constitution,  is  self -destructive.  By 
this  theory,  one  thing  is  supposed  to  act  upon  another 
through  a  space  absolutely  empty. 

To  see  more  clearly  how  difficult  is  this  question  of 
the  transfer  of  force  through  space,  let  us  take,  as 
an  example,  the  light  and  heat  of  the  sun.  The  sun 
acts  upon  us  to  produce  the  sensation  of  light  and  heat. 
The  sun  is  over  ninety  millions  of  miles  away  from 
us;  and  the  light  and  the  heat  are  here  on  the  earth, 
having  traveled  the  immense  distance  from  the  sun 


THE  TRANSFER  OF  ENERGY  69 

to  us.  We  find  that  the  Hght  and  the  heat,  in  passing 
from  the  sun  to  us,  have  consumed  some  eight  minutes. 

Now,  in  this  instance  of  the  transfer  of  light  and 
heat  from  sun  to  earth,  we  have  the  idea  of  a  motion  — 
the  motion  of  this  force  passing  from  sun  to  earth. 
But  in  conceiving  motion,  we  always  think  of  some- 
thing moved.  Therefore  we  argue  that  the  exercise 
of  force  through  ninety  millions  of  miles,  or  through 
any  other  distance,  for  that  matter,  of  absolute  vacuum, 
where  there  is  nothing  that  can  in  any  wise  be  moved, 
is  inconceivable.  We  cannot  think  of  a  force  as  trav- 
eling unless  it  has  something  in  which  or  upon  which 
to  travel.  Hence  we  naturally  reason  about  as  follows : 
Between  the  sun  and  the  earth  there  is  a  motion  shown 
by  the  transfer  of  heat  and  light,  and  hence  something 
moved.  This  something  that  moves,  and  hence  trans- 
fers the  energy  of  Hght  and  heat  —  what  is  it?  Scien- 
tists call  it  the  ether.  Some  of  them  think  it  is  a  sort 
of  thin  air;  others  think  it  is  an  elastic  solid,  which 
pervades  all  space,  being  always  present  everywhere. 
As  has  been  said,  waves  in  the  ether  are  supposed  to 
carry  the  energy  of  light  and  heat,  somewhat  as  the 
air  carries  sound  waves^  or  somewhat  as  the  surface 
of  the  water  carries  the  waves  produced  by  the  drop- 
ping of  a  pebble. 

But  now,  having  assumed  the  existence  of  this 
ether  —  having  assumed  it  because  we  cannot  conceive 
of  force  as  traveling  without  something  set  in  motion 
to  carry  it  —  how  much  better  off  are  we  than  before? 

What  is  the  constitution  of  this  ether,  which  we 
have  thus  introduced  between  the  earth  and  the  stars  ? 


70  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

All  matter  is  assumed  by  scientists  to  consist  of 
atoms,  or  particles,  which  attract  and  repel  each  other. 
If  these  atoms  attract  each  other  more  than  they  repel, 
we  call  the  matter  a  solid.  If  the  attraction  and  the 
repulsion  are  about  equal,  we  call  the  matter  a  liquid. 
If  tlie  atoms  repel  more  than  they  attract,  we  call  the 
matter  a  gas.  Now,  this  ether,  like  all  matter,  is  sup- 
posed to  be  made  up  of  atoms  that  attract  and  repel 
each  other ;  only  the  atoms  of  the  ether  are  very  much 
smaller  than  those  in  ordinary  matter,  and  very  much 
farther  apart. 

A  necessary  part  of  the  ether  hypothesis  is  the  sup- 
position that  the  ether  is  imponderable  —  that  is,  has 
no  weight;  for  if  it  had  weight,  it  would  fall  in  the 
direction  of  the  strongest  attracting  force,  and  thus 
cease  to  be  a  uniform  medium  everywhere  present. 
If  it  is  imponderable,  or  without  weight,  we  are  shut 
up  to  the  conclusion  that  the  ratio  between  the  inter- 
spaces of  these  atoms  and  the  atoms  themselves  is 
vastly  greater  than  the  like  ratio  in  ordinary,  or  pon- 
derable, matter.  To  put  the  case  plainly:  The  atoms 
of  the  ether,  in  order  to  fit  the  theory,  are  as  small 
with  reference  to  the  spaces  between  them,  as  the  sun 
and  the  earth  are  as  compared  with  the  space  between 
them.  And  between  these  atoms  there  is  absolutely 
vacant  space.  Therefore  we  have  abandoned  the  first 
difficulty  of  how  the  force  passes  from  the  sun  across 
the  interspace  to  the  earth,  only  to  come  to  a  second 
just  like  it, —  How  does  the  force  pass  from  one  atom 
of  the  ether  to  another  atom  through  the  vacant  space 
that  always  exists  between  them?     The  illustration 


THE  TRANSFER  OF  ENERGY  71 

shows  what  we  mean.  The  large  circle  represents  the 
sun,  the  smaller  one  the  earth,  and  the  dots  the  ether. 
Let  us  ask  again  the  original  question,  and  let  the 
scientist  answer.  "How  is  light  to  pass  from  sun  to 
earth  over  ninety-three  million  miles  of  vacant  space  ?" 


"By  means  of  waves  in  the  ether,"  says  the  scientist. 

"But  hold !  Your  theory  of  the  constitution  of  the 
ether  is  that  it  is  composed  of  atoms  which  are  never 
in  contact  —  which  have,  like  the  sun  and  the  earth, 
vast  spaces  between  them  ?" 

"Yes." 

"Then  how  does  this  force,  in  passing  through  the 
ether,  move  from  one  of  these  atoms  to  the  other?" 

He  is  silent ;  he  cannot  tell. 

With  our  ether  hypothesis,  we  are  no  better  off  than 
we  were  before.  We  still  have  to  imagine  a  body  as 
acting  where  it  is  not,  and  in  the  absence  of  anything 
by  which  its  action  may  be  transferred.  The  phi- 
losophy of  the  thing  is  the  same  whether  the  exercise 
of  force  be  on  a  large  or  a  small  scale.  In  the  words 
of  Herbert  Spencer:  "We  see  .  .  .  that  the  exer- 
cise of  force  is  altogether  unintelligible.  We  cannot 
imagine  it  except  through  the  instrumentality  of  some- 
thing having  extension ;  and  yet  when  we  have  assumed 
this  something,  we  find  that  the  perplexity  is  not  got 
rid  of,  but  only  postponed.    We  are  obliged  to  conclude 


n  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

that  matter,  whether  ponderable  or  imponderable,  and 
whether  aggregated  or  in  its  hypothetical  units,  acts 
upon  matter  through  absolutely  vacant  space,  and  yet 
this  conclusion  is  positively  unthinkable." 

Now,  as  in  the  days  of  Job,  no  man  knows  by  what 
way  the  light  is  distributed.  In  the  springtime,  the 
sunlight  touches  the  earth,  and  wakes  the  dormant 
life  beneath  the  sod,  and  all  the  hillsides  grow  radiant 
with  beauty;  but  how  this  light  reaches  us,  no  man 
can  tell.    And  this  is  not  the  only  mystery. 

The  world  is  full  of  mysteries;  but  this  is  because 
the  world  is  larger  than  the  measure  of  man's  mind. 
And,  too,  there  are  mysteries  in  God's  providence, 
mysteries  in  His  Word ;  but  they  are  mysteries  because 
that  providence  and  that  Word  are  larger  than  our 
feeble  thought.  As  the  heavens  are  higher  than  the 
earth,  so  are  God's  ways  higher  than  our  ways,  and 
His  thoughts  than  our  thoughts.     Isa.  55:9. 

Shall  we  ignore  these  mysteries,  as  some  so-called 
scientists  do,  and  say  that  all  the  things  of  nature  are 
explained  without  the  necessity  of  a  Creator?  Or 
shall  we  allow  the  mystery  to  throw  about  our  minds 
the  darkness  of  doubt  and  unrest?  Or  shall  we,  like 
Job,  find  our  souls'  rest  in  Him  who  is  greater  than 
all  mystery,  and  confide  our  all  to  Him  who  knows, 
uxd  who  will  make  known  as  we  are  able  to  endure 
and  understand? 

Let  us  digress  from  the  subject  of  light  long  enough 
to  consider  this  matter  of  mysteries  and  our  attitude 
toward  them.  The  mysteries  of  nature  and  of 
providence  and  of  the  Word  are  but  examples  of  the 


THE  TRANSFER  OP  ENERGY  73 

mysteries  that  must,  in  the  nature  of  the  case,  forever 
surround  the  manifestations  of  God  Himself.  He 
is  incomprehensible  to  us,  and  hence  His  acts  arc 
shrouded  in  more  or  less  of  mystery.  But  some  will 
say:  "If  God  is  incomprehensible,  how  can  we  worship 
Him  rationally?  Blind  worship  is  possible,  but  that 
is  superstition;  rational  worship  of  an  incomprehen- 
sible being  is  impossible." 

"On  the  contrary,"  says  Professor  Le  Conte,  "it  is 
only  of  such  a  one  that  rational  worship  is  possible. 
In  order  to  worship  rationally,  we  must  be  able  to 
apprehend,  but  we  must  not  be  able  to  comprehend. 
We  must  be  able  to  take  hold  of,  but  we  must  not  be 
able  to  inclose  and  determine  the  limits  of  the  object 
of  our  worship.  In  order  to  worship  him  rationally, 
we  must  be  able  to  lay  hold  of  and  cling  to  him,  even 
if  it  be  but  the  lowermost  skirts  of  his  outer  garment; 
but  we  must  not  be  able  to  embrace,  except  only  his  feet. 

"We  love  that  which  is  like  ourselves  and  which  we 
can  also  entirely  comprehend;  that  which  is  on  our 
own  level,  or  even  below  us.  It  is  thus  we  love  our 
friends  and  our  children.  We  love  and  reverence  that 
which,  though  like  ourselves,  is  above  us,  but  not 
beyond  our  comprehension.  It  is  thus  we  love  and 
reverence  the  wise,  the  great,  and  the  good,  among 
our  fellow  men.  But  we  love,  reverence,  and  worship 
only  that  which  is  still  like  ourselves,  but  which  is  not 
only  above  us,  but  in  its  highest  parts  incomprehensible 
to  us." — "Religion  and  Science,''  page  102. 

It  is  not  consistent  for  the  skeptic  to  call  his  Chris- 
tian friend  unreasonable  for  believing  in  some  things 


74  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

that  are  incapable  of  a  full  explanation.  So  long  as 
the  skeptic  cannot  explain  by  what  means  light  or 
gravity  travels  across  the  oceans  of  space,  so  long  as 
he  cannot  explain  how  light  from  a  lamp  reaches  his 
eye,  he  should  not  complain  of  his  Christian  friend 
for  believing  some  of  the  experienced  but  unexplained 
realities  of  the  higher  life. 

We  believe  that  gravity  reaches  across  the  abyss  of 
space  to  clasp  all  worlds  in  one  bond  of  unity,  and  we 
believe  that  light  and  heat  travel  from  star  to  star; 
but  we  cannot  explain  what  thus  we  know  is  so. 

And  the  Christian  believes  that  a  man  can  be  and  is 
bom  again  into  a  life  that  transcends  mortality,  but 
we  cannot  understand  or  explain  it  all.  Like  the 
transfer  of  light,  heat,  and  gravity,  it  is  covered  with 
more  or  less  of  mystery;  but  nevertheless,  it  is  fact. 


CHAPTER  VII 

The  Center  of  the  Universe 

ERROR  and  truth  on  any  particular  point  cannot 
reside  in  the  same  mind  at  the  same  time.  Error 
and  truth  are  opposites ;  the  one  is  entirely  an- 
tagonistic to  the  other.  A  particular  error  retained 
in  the  mind  keeps  out  of  that  mind  the  opposite  truth. 

In  astronomy,  for  ages,  one  radical  truth  was  not 
generally  apprehended, —  the  truth  that  the  earth  is 
not  the  center  of  the  universe.  The  idea  that  the  earth 
was  the  center,  was  the  great  mistake  which  held  men 
from  any  large  advancement  in  astronomical  science. 
All  their  investigations  were  colored  by  it;  and  the 
entire  universe  of  the  visible  heavens,  tried  by  it,  was 
woefully  out  of  joint.  The  whole  system  of  ancient 
astronomy  was  built  upon  a  huge  mistake. 

"Men  held,  as  a  fact  of  absolute,  unquestionable 
certainty,  that  this  earth  of  ours, —  this  small  whirling 
globe,  less  than  eight  thousand  miles  in  diameter, — 
was  a  vast  and  immeasurable  plain,  extending  to 
perhaps  infinite  distances,  and  firmly  fixed  upon 
immovable  foundations.     They  held  that  around  this 

75 


76  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

great  and  motionless  center  moved  the  other  heavenly 
bodies, —  a  little  sun,  a  little  moon,  and  a  few  thousand 
tiny  stars,  all  placed  near,  for  the  sole  purpose  of 
lighting  and  warming  our  mighty  earth. 

"The  one  entirely  accepted  fact  being  that  our  earth 
was  the  moveless  center  of  all  things,  other  matters 
had  to  fit  in  with  that  theory  as  best  they  might.  The 
study  of  the  skies  was  long  hopelessly  hampered  by 
this  one  stupendous  error.  It  is  singular  to  glance 
through  records  of  early  astronomical  notions,  and 
see  the  variety  of  theories  that  arose,  one  following 
another,  all  designed  to  explain  the  things  which  were 
seen  to  happen,  all  hopelessly  wrong  because  of  this 
one  foundation  mistake. 

"The  early  Greeks  at  one  time  steadfastly  believed 
the  sun  to  be  a  torch,  the  stars  to  be  candles,  by  turns 
lit  and  put  out.  One  of  their  philosophers  improved, 
later,  upon  the  theory,  by  maintaining  that  the  stars 
were  a  kind  of  meteors,  an  emanation  from  the 
earth, —  a  sort  of  'terrestrial  effluvia.' 

"Another  explanation  in  vogue  among  them  was 
that  our  earth  floated  in  a  boundless  ocean;  and  that 
when  the  sun  vanished  at  night,  he  was  boated  by 
Vulcan  around  the  north  pole,  behind  certain  lofty 
mountains,  which  served  to  hide  his  radiance,  and  so 
he  reached  the  other  side  in  time  for  next  morning's 
due  appearance. 

"After  a  while,  it  became  evident  to  their  minds  that 
this  explanation  was  hardly  satisfactory.  Then  they 
conjectured  that  the  earth,  instead  of  floating  on  the 
waters  of  an  ocean,  was  built  upon  enormous  pillars, 


THE  CENTER  OF  THE  UNIVERSE  77 

and  that  the  sun  really  did  go  down  at  night  under- 
neath the  earth,  finding  a  passage  among  said  pillars, 
and  coming  up  on  the  other  side." — "Radiant  Suns," 
pages  75,  i6. 

So  men  clung  to  the  idea  that  the  earth  was  the 
center  of  all  things,  tried  everything  by  that  idea,  and 
endeavored  to  make  everything  harmonize  with  it.  But 
truth  cannot  be  harmonized  with  error;  and,  holding 
error  as  their  foundation,  they  made  painfully  slow 
progress  toward  the  truth. 

This  world  is  not  the  center  of  the  universe.  Such 
a  basal  truth,  I  had  long  believed,  must  be  in  the  Word, 
though  I  could  not  find  it.  The  Word  is  a  perfect 
guide  for  every  age  and  every  condition,  and  so  this 
truth  must  be  there.  At  last,  I  found  it  revealed  in 
more  than  one  place.  The  one  most  significant  to  me 
is  Job  26 :  14.  From  the  rendering  in  our  authorized 
version,  we  do  not  catch  the  idea  at  all.  There  is  little 
wonder  at  this,  however.  God  spoke  the  truth  in  the 
Hebrew  language,  and  there  it  was;  but  when  our 
translators  attempted  to  state  the  same  truth  in  the 
English  language,  they  were  either  unable  or  afraid 
to  give  it  the  literal  rendering.  It  could  not  mean  just 
what  it  said;  yet  there  it  was  all  this  time,  waiting 
the  mind  that  could  believe  it.  Knowledge  has  ad- 
vanced; men  now  see  that  this  statement  of  Holy 
Writ  can  be  literally  true. 

I  have  special  reference  to  the  first  clause  of  the 
verse,  which  reads,  "Lo,  these  are  parts  of  His  ways." 
Another  translation,  with  a  note  upon  it,  is :  "  *Lo,  these 
are  parts  of  His  ways:  and  what  whisper- word  is 


78  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

heard  of  Him!'  The  word  rendered  'parts'  signifies 
'the  extremities  of  Hnes,'  mere  points;  but  I  know  not 
of  any  good  English  word  which  I  could  substitute. 
The  'whisper-word'  is  the  barest  literal  rendering,  and 
it  is  too  beautiful  to  be  lost,  as  in  the  common  ver- 
sion."—  Dr.  Pye  Smith. 

From  this  authority,  we  find  that  the  word  rendered 
"parts"  means  "the  extremities  of  Hues" ;  that  is,  "the 
ends  of  lines,"  or  "the  outlying  points."  "Lo,  these 
are  the  outlying  points  of  His  works."  And  in  har- 
mony with  this  idea,  we  have  several  other  transla- 
tions of  good  authority: 

"Lo,  these  are  but  the  borders  of  His  works;  how 
faint  a  whisper  we  have  heard  of  Him!" — Noyes's 
translation. 

"Lo !  these  are  only  the  outlying  borders  of  His 
works.  What  a  whisper  of  a  word  we  have  heard  of 
Him!" — Quoted  by  Henry  White  Warren,  D.  D. 

"Lo,  these  are  but  the  outskirts  of  His  ways:  and 
how  small  a  whisper  do  we  hear  of  Him!" — Revised 
Version. 

All  these  translations  help  us  to  catch  the  load  of 
meaning  in  the  original;  and  their  combined  testirrony 
shows  that  this  verse  is  up  with  all  the  astronomical 
science  of  the  present  day  —  yes,  and  infinitely  ahead 
of  it,  daring  to  assert  as  a  certainty  what  astronomers 
merely  regard  as  probable. 

And  when  men  have  caught  glimpses  of  these  sub- 
lime truths,  and  have  thought  to  express  their  awakened 
emotions,  do  you  know  that  the  Scriptures  alone  give 
them  language  adequate  for  their  thoughts?     It  has 


THE  CENTER  OF  THE  UNIVERSE  79 

taken  the  almighty  power  of  God  to  make  human 
words  sufficient  to  express  His  infinite  truths.  Says 
an  astronomer  of  no  Httle  note:  ''However  vast  the 
universe  now  appears,  however  numerous  the  worlds 
which  may  exist  within  its  boundless  range,  the  lan- 
guage of  Scripture,  and  Scripture  alone,  is  sufficiently 
comprehensive  and  sublime  to  express  all  the  emotions 
which  naturally  arise  in  the  mind  when  contemplating 
its  structure.  This  shows  not  only  the  harmony  which 
subsists  between  the  discoveries  of  science,  but  also 
forms,  by  itself,  a  strong  presumptive  evidence  that 
the  records  of  the  Bible  are  authentic  and  divine." — 
Elijah  EL  Burritt. 

"Lo,  these  are  but  the  outskirts  of  His  ways;"  and 
the  word  ''these"  refers  not  alone  to  the  earth,  but 
also  to  the  garnished  heavens,  mentioned  in  the  verses 
preceding.  Though  we  study  the  expanded  heavens 
as  we  may;  gather  facts  so  many  as  we  can;  get  as 
large  a  conception  of  space  as  possible;  yet,  studying 
and  toiling  to  the  extent  of  our  ability,  we  shall  never 
get  beyond  this  verse.  It  will  never  grow  old.  Human 
minds  will  never  frame  in  better  words  the  truth  it 
contains.  Human  minds  will  never,  either  here  or 
hereafter,  find  all  the  depths  of  its  meaning.  It  is 
an  infinite  truth. 

True,  it  does  not  say  that  the  earth  is  not  in  the 
center  of  the  universe.  But  it  tells  far  more  than  that; 
for  though  it  does  not  say  where  the  earth  is  not,  it 
does  define  just  where  the  earth  is, —  on  the  outskirts. 
If  the  earth  is  on  the  outskirts,  it  certainly  cannot  be 
in  the  center.    And  as  the  -garnished  heavens  that  we 


80  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

see,  are  also  but  "the  outskirts"  of  God's  works,  and 
as  these  are  but  a  "faint  whisper"  of  the  word  that 
spoke  them  into  existence  (Ps.  33:6,  9),  then  the  dis- 
tance to  that  center  must  be  immense,  wherever  that 
center  be. 

But  why  did  men  think  that  the  earth  was  the  center 
of  the  universe?  What  led  them  to  this  conclusion? 
The  apparent  motion  of  the  heavenly  bodies  was 
probably  one  great  reason  why  they  believed  as  they 
did.  But  there  is  a  certain  fitness,  after  all,  in  a  self- 
centered  man's  believing  in  an  earth-centered  universe. 
It  is  the  heathen  rendering  of,  "All  things  are  yours." 

But  the  self-subdued  man  is  prepared  to  view  all 
this  far  differently.  To  such  a  man,  it  seems  highly 
appropriate  that  this  earth  should  be  but  a  speck,  the 
extremity  of  a  line,  in  immensity,  and  that  it  is  not 
nearly  so  important  in  the  machinery  of  the  universe 
as  the  untamed  intellect  might  believe  it  to  be. 

By  these  two  views  are  we  shown  that  material 
things  are  to  be  seen  through  the  spiritual,  being 
spiritually  discerned.  We  also  see  that  the  unregen- 
erate  man  labors  at  a  tremendous  disadvantage  in 
seeking  to  understand  God's  works.  And  thus  we 
realize  something  of  the  blessed  import  of  the  term 
"Christian  education."  Last  of  all,  we  are  more  and 
more  confirmed  in  our  belief  that  the  Word  is  an  all- 
sufficient  guide  to  man;  and,  furthermore,  that  the 
Word  of  God  and  the  works  of  God  are  indissolubly 
connected, —  the  works  testifying  of  the  Word,  for 
they  are  its  manifestations;  and  the  Word  testifying 
of  the  works,  for  through  it  they  have  existence. 


Nebula  in  Triangulum 


The  Andromeda  Nebula 
This  is  not  really  a  nebula,  but  a  vast  cluster  of  stars. 


This 


galaxy  of  suns  is  immensely  larger  than  our  planetary  system. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

The  Earth  in  Space 

CLOSELY  associated  with  the  old  error  that  the 
earth  was  the  center  of  the  universe,  was  an- 
other, equally  erroneous,  and  possibly  more 
fatal  to  advancement  in  the  truth.  It  was  the  belief 
that  the  earth  had  a  material  support.  Some  supposed 
the  earth  to  be  flat,  and  afloat  on  an  immense  ocean. 
Others,  while  they  believed  that  it  was  flat,  declared 
that  it  was  supported  by  enormous  pillars.  What  the 
pillars  rested  on,  all  seemed  to  be  perfectly  willing  to 
leave  to  uncertainty.  They  must  have  a  support  for 
the  earth;  they  did  not  care  to  trace  the  matter  hack 
further  than  that. 

One  advance  from  this  enslaving  error  was  appre- 
ciation of  the  fact  that  the  earth  is  round.  As  nearly 
as  we  can  now  tell,  there  have  always  been  at  least  a 
few  who  have  realized  that  the  earth  is  round ;  but  it 
was  not  generally  believed.  Hundreds  of  years  ago 
the  Word  declared  the  same  great  truth.  There  are 
a  number  of  texts  which  cannot  be  explained  except 
in  the  light  of  this  truth;  and  in  one  place,  we  have 

8i 


82  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

a  plain  declaration  of  it:  "It  is  He  that  sitteth  upon 
the  circle  of  the  earth."  Isa.  40:22.  "It  is  He  that 
sitteth  upon  the  glohe  of  the  earth." — Id.,  Catholic 
translation  of  the  Latin  Vulgate.  "He  sitteth  upon 
the  sphere  of  the  earth." — Id.,  Gesenius,  quoted  by 
Warren.  For  the  word  "upon,"  the  American  Revised 
Version  gives  "above."  Thus  we  may  have,  as  a  pos- 
sible rendering  of  this  text,  "He  [God]  sitteth  above 
the  circle,  sphere,  or  globe,  of  the  earth." 

But  while  some  men  could  conceive  that  the  earth 
is  round,  the  idea  that  it  is  without  visible  support 
was  always  beyond  any  of  them.  To  present  it  to  them 
was  to  appall  them.  They  could  see  that  such  an  idea 
would  demolish  all  their  systems  of  astronomy,  and 
leave  them  utterly  bewildered  in  the  midst  of  a  scien- 
tific chaos.  Put  yourself,  if  you  can,  in  their  place. 
Get  an  idea  of  a  solid,  stable  earth,  resting  on  firm 
foundations  of  pillars  and  rocks,  turtle,  elephant,  or 
whatever  the  conjecture.  Let  all  your  ideas  of 
astronomy  be  determined  by  this.  Then  try  to  think 
of  what  it  would  mean  to  discover  suddenly  that  the 
earth  is  rolling  in  space  at  the  rate  of  one  thousand 
miles  an  hour,  and  shooting  onv/ard  at  the  far  more 
rapid,  almost  frightful  speed  of  over  eleven  hundred 
miles  a  minute,  with  nothing  above  or  below  or  round 
about  it  to  give  support. 

Could  a  mind  at  once  take  in  such  a  truth?  —  It 
seems  not :  error  is  too  enslaving  for  that.  "The  very 
thought  of  such  a  restless,  whirling  globe,  where  all 
had  been  reckoned  as  absolute  fixity,  was  startling  to 
the  imagination  until  men  grew  used  to  it."     Rome 


THE  EARTH  IN  SPA CE  83 

was  against  the  new  idea ;  but  even  Rome  had  to  give 
way  before  the  truths  of  astronomy.  Men  might  be 
led  to  believe  the  word  of  Rome,  though  it  was  plainly 
against  the  statement  of  the  Word  of  God ;  but  it  was 
difficult  to  make  them  believe  the  word  of  Rome  where 
nature  uttered  a  plain  denial.  The  opening  truths  of 
astronomy  shook  Rome  to  her  very  foundations.  Men 
were  racked  and  burned;  but  the  truth  in  its  majesty 
moved  on.  The  Word  was  beginning  to  lighten  the 
earth.  Those  truths  were  the  truths  of  the  Word. 
God's  Word  had  been  a  witness  all  through  those  dark 
days,  but  Rome  had  sought  to  impeach  its  testimony. 
Then,  behold!  God  called  another  witness  into  court. 
Nature  began  to  thunder  forth  the  truth  which  proved 
Rome  unreliable.  Nature  was  against  the  pope,  be- 
cause the  pope  was  against  nature;  and  men  would 
believe  nature  in  preference  to  the  pope. 

While  Rome  racked  the  bodies  of  men,  truth  racked 
their  minds.  Thus  the  contest  raged;  and  the  battle 
still  is  on.  But  that  truth  was  the  truth  of  the  Word, 
and  that  advancing  light  was  the  light  of  God.  And 
so,  from  the  idea  of  a  flat  earth  set  on  pillars,  men 
have  come  to  the  great  truth  that  the  earth  is  round 
and  hung  in  space. 

For  a  man  to  get  away  from  the  old  idea,  to  cut  loose 
the  earth  from  all  visible  support  and  launch  it  forth 
into  space,  his  mind  itself  had  to  be  cut  loose,  in  a 
sense,  from  all  visible  supports,  and  swung  out  into  a 
vast  unknown.  And  it  was  truth  which  cut  men's 
minds  loose,  and  set  them  free.  "The  truth  shall  make 
you  free."    A  mind  thus  set  free  from  error  was  like 


84  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

a  ship  loosed  from  its  moorings,  to  sail  the  broad 
oceans  before  it.  It  was  like  a  bird  beginning  to  mount 
on  its  pinions  to  view  more  broadly  the  works  of  God. 

To  have  such  a  narrow  and  mean  conception  of  the 
works  of  God  as  these  men  had,  was  to  have,  unavoid- 
ably, a  narrow  and  mean  conception  of  God.  God 
wants  every  one  to  have  true  ideas  of  His  works ;  for 
thereby  the  mind  is  led  to  true  ideas  of  God.  He  has 
given  us  revelations,  in  His  Word,  concerning  these 
things;  but  we  learn  so  slowly!  Ages  ago  the  Lord 
asked  Job,  "Whereupon  are  the  sockets  of  the  earth 
made  to  sink?"  Job  38:6,  margin.  And  if  the  same 
question  had  been  asked  the  scientists  of  old,  they 
very  probably  would  have  said:  "Sockets?  The  earth 
has  no  sockets,  much  less  anything  upon  which  they 
would  be  made  to  sink." 

But  we  know  that  the  question  was  not  utterly  lost 
upon  Job.  He  saw  the  pertinence  of  the  question, 
"Whereupon?"  He  had  said  previously,  "He  stretch- 
eth  out  the  north  over  the  empty  place,  and  hangeth 
the  earth  upon  nothing."  Job  26:7.  I^^  this,  Job 
attempted  to  tell  whereupon  the  sockets  of  the  earth 
were  made  to  sink.  He  said  that  the  earth  hangs  on 
nothing.  Scientists  have  got  about  that  far  now. 
They  say  that  the  earth  hangs  on  no  thing,  but  that 
it  is  upheld  by  a  pozver,  which  they  call  "gravitation." 
Job  said  that  God  "hangeth  the  earth."  In  this,  he 
shows  that  indeed  power  suspends  the  earth,  and  more, 
that  this  power  is  the  power  of  God. 

But  Job  evidently  had  not  yet  got  the  ultimate  an- 
swer in  such  a  way  that  he  could  rest  from  further 


THE  EARTH  IN  SPACE  85 

inquiries  in  that  direction;  for  shortly  afterward  the 
Almighty  asked  Job  the  ever  unanswered  question, 
"Whereupon  are  the  foundations  of  the  earth  made 
to  sink?"  No  matter  what  man's  attainments,  that 
question,  like  all  the  others  which  God  asked  Job,  is 
forever  beyond  man's  complete  answering.  We  to-day 
can  answer  the  question  no  better  than  could  Job.  We 
shall  never  be  able  to  answer  it  fully.  To  answer  com- 
pletely any  one  of  God's  questions  is  to  measure  Him 
on  that  one  point.  We  shall  never  be  able  to  do  that. 
The  ultimate  and  full  answers  lie  in  the  inscrutable 
mind  of  the  Creator  Himself.  One  mystery  cleared, 
countless  others,  deeper  and  more  baffling,  appear. 
"The  rate  of  scientific  progress  increases  from  decade 
to  decade,  and  yet  the  new  problems  increase  more 
rapidly.  The  divine  intellect  can  never  be  exhausted 
by  the  human." 

God  wants  man  to  know  the  truth  in  regard  to  all 
He  has  done.  He  has  lightened  the  earth  and  heaven 
with  His  revelations ;  He  has  given  to  men  His  Spirit ; 
and  He  has  left  to  them  His  Word,  all  flooded  with 
light.  God  thus  reveals  truth  after  truth  with  a  lavish 
hand.  He  tells  us  that  the  earth  is  not  in  the  center 
of  the  universe,  but  on  the  outskirts;  that  it  is  not 
flat,  but  round;  and  that  it  is  not  supported  by  things 
material,  but  by  a  power  (which  men  call  gravita- 
tion, but)  which  God  calls  the  power  of  His  Word, 
manifested  through  Jesus  Christ. 

These  truths  are  revealed  as  truths  having  a  bear- 
ing upon  the  souls  of  men.  Everywhere  that  God  has 
revealed  a  scientific  truth,  it  is  found  to  have  a  bearing 


86  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

upon  the  eternal  destiny  of  men.  All  truth  is  spiritual 
truth.  All  truth  is  of  God;  and  as  God  is  a  Spirit, 
truth  is  spiritual.  God  Himself  says  that  His  Spirit 
is  the  truth,  (i  John  5:6.)  Then  away  forever  with 
the  idea  that  there  is  any  truth  dissociated  from  God, 
and  which  does  not  minister  to  the  soul ! 

There  is  no  truth  but  the  truth  of  God ;  and  it  saves 
the  soul.  God  has  literally  filled  His  world  with  facts, 
the  manifestation  of  truth.  God  scatters  the  light 
as  the  farmer  sows  the  seed, —  not  a  few  kernels,  not 
a  few  rays;  He  sows  it.  "Light  is  sown!'  And  He 
scatters  the  light  with  the  same  intention  with  which 
the  farmer  sows  the  seed;  namely,  that  it  may  yield  in- 
crease.   "Light  is  sown  for  the  righteous!'    Ps.  97 :  ii. 

God  grant  that  we  may  be  among  these  righteous 
ones  for  whom  the  light  is  sown.  God  grant  that  we 
may  be  the  "wise,"  who  "understand  these  things." 
God  grant  that  we  may  be  the  "prudent,"  who  "know 
them."  Hosea  14:9.  And  God  forbid  that  any  of  us 
should  be  the  "wicked,"  who  "do  wickedly" ;  for  "none 
of  the  wicked  shall  understand."    Dan.  12 :  10. 


I 


CHAPTER  IX 

The  Impress  of  Light 

*i"J'T  is  turned  as  clay  to  the  seal;  and  they  stand 
as  a  garment."  Job  38 :  14.  For  a  long  time, 
I  had  thought  that  this  verse  in  some  way  was 
meant  to  teach  the  rotation  of  the  earth.  But  when 
I  sat  down  to  a  consideration  of  the  scripture,  its 
meaning  seemed  vague  and  indefinite.  I  at  length  de- 
termined to  make  a  careful  analysis  of  its  every  shade 
of  meaning,  and  determine  what  it  really  does  say. 

I  noticed  that  the  verse  asserts  that  something, 
specified  as  "it,"  is  turned.  But  what  is  that  which  is 
turned?  I  concluded  first  of  all  to  investigate  the 
word  "turned."  Shall  it  be  translated,  "It  is  changed," 
or,  "It  is  rolled"  ?  Does  the  scripture  mean  that  some- 
thing is  changed  from  one  thing  to  another,  or  that 
it  is  turned  over  or  around?  By  some,  it  is  rendered, 
"It  is  changed  as  clay  under  the  seal;"  by  others,  "It 
is  rolled  as  clay  to  the  seal."  Which  is  preferable? 
Which  is  correct? 

I  find  that  the  original  Hebrew  word  is  haphak.  It 
is  a  primitive  root,  meaning,  to  turn  about  or  over. 

87 


88  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

By  implication,  it  may  mean,  to  change,  overturn,  re- 
form, pervert.  I  then  went  to  other  places  in  the  Word 
to  ascertain  its  use.  A  few  passages  will  show  how 
it  is  employed. 

In  Hosea  7:8,  I  read,  "Ephraim,  he  hath  mixed 
himself  among  the  people;  Ephraim  is  a  cake  not 
turned."  Here  we  have  a  familiar  scene  brought  to 
view.  The  batter  for  a  griddlecake  is  spread  upon 
the  pan,  and  there  it  is  left ;  it  is  not  turned  over.  The 
word  here  used,  unmistakably  means  to  make  at  least 
a  half  revolution. 

In  the  thirty-seventh  chapter  of  Job, —  the  chapter 
preceding  the  one  that  contains  the  verse  under  con- 
sideration,—  we  have  this  word  used  with  two  adverbs 
that  throw  light  upon  its  significance.  "He  scattereth 
His  bright  cloud :  and  it  is  turned  round  about  by  His 
counsels."  Verses  11,  12.  Then  the  words  "round" 
and  "about"  may  follow  this  word.  This  shows  that 
it  is  sometimes  used  in  the  sense  of  revolve.  In  Job 
9:5,  we  have  a  further  illustration.  "Which  removeth 
the  mountains,  and  they  know  not :  which  overturneth 
them  in  His  anger."  Here  the  word  is  rendered  "over- 
turneth," and  the  meaning  is  very  manifest. 

But  we  have  a  still  more  significant  illustration  of 
the  meaning  of  this  word.  "When  Gideon  was  come, 
behold,  there  was  a  man  that  told  a  dream  unto  his 
fellow,  and  said,  Behold,  I  dreamed  a  dream,  and,  lo, 
a  cake  of  barley  bread  tumbled  into  the  host  of  Midian, 
and  came  unto  a  tent,  and  smote  it  that  it  fell,  and 
overturned  it,  that  the  tent  lay  along."  Judges  7: 13. 
The  words  "tumbled"  and  "overturned"  are  both  from 


THE  IMPRESS  OF  LIGHT  89 

this  Hebrew  word  haphak.  The  barley  loaf  rolled,  or 
tumbled, —  turned  over  and  over, —  till  it  came  to  a 
tent ;  then  the  tent,  being  smitten,  fell,  was  overturned, 
and  lay  along. 

Then  there  is  no  mistake.  This  word  is  often  used 
in  the  sense  of  turning  over  or  around.  It  may  mean 
overturn,  or  turn  over  and  over.  It  is  translated 
"tumble."  It  has  in  it  the  idea  of  rolling  or  revolving. 
This  is  its  first  and  inner  meaning.  Any  other  use  is 
by  implication,  and  is  therefore  secondary ;  it  came  as 
an  afterthought.  And  if  you  or  I  were  writing  in 
the  Hebrew,  and  wished  to  use  a  word  to  denote  the 
rotation  of  the  earth,  I  think  you  will  admit  that  we 
would  use  the  one  employed  in  Job  38 :  14. 

Then  so  far  as  the  meaning  of  the  word  "turned" 
in  this  verse  is  concerned,  we  see  that  it  may  be  used 
in  the  sense  of  revolve.  And  if  the  word  "it"  refers 
to  the  earth,  this  verse  declares  that  the  earth  is  re- 
volved, or  turned  around  or  over.  But  to  what  does 
the  word  "it"  refer?  What  is  its  antecedent?  We 
must  go  to  the  preceding  verse  to  discover. 

"It"  is  a  pronoun,  and  therefore  refers  to  some  noun 
used  before.  It  stands  for  some  thing  under  consid- 
eration. Furthermore,  "it"  is  singular,  and  therefore 
a  plural  noun  cannot  be  its  antecedent.  I  find  that 
the  twelfth  verse  begins  the  discussion ;  therefore*  the 
twelfth  or  the  thirteenth  verse  must  name  the  thing 
which  in  the  fourteenth  verse  is  mentioned  as  being 
turned. 

I  find  four  singular  nouns  used  —  four  single  things 
mentioned  —  in  these  two  verses.    The  "it"  must  refer 


90  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

to  some  one  of  the  four.  The  things  mentioned  are 
morning,  dayspring,  place,  and  earth.  All  the  other 
things  mentioned  are  in  the  plural  number,  and  would 
require  the  pronoun  "they"  instead  of  the  singular 
pronoun  "it."  If  we  supply  these  words  one  after 
another  in  the  place  of  "it,"  we  shall  have  these  sen- 
tences: The  morning  is  turned  as  clay  to  the  seal. 
The  dayspring  is  turned  as  clay  to  the  seal.  His  place 
is  turned  as  clay  to  the  seal.  The  earth  is  turned  as 
clay  to  the  seal. 

Only  one  of  these  sentences  will  make  any  sort  of 
sense.  The  figure  is,  "as  clay  to  the  seal."  It  is  not, 
"as  seal  to  the  clay."  Keep  the  order  carefully  in 
mind.  The  seal  is  not,  as  is  usually  the  custom,  turned 
to  the  clay ;  the  figure  is  reversed.  Why  is  it  reversed  ? 
There  must  be  some  purpose  in  employing  a  figure 
exactly  the  opposite  of  what  is  usual.  If  we  had  here 
the  usual  process,  something  would  be  turned  as  a 
seal  is  turned  upon  the  clay  to  make  its  impression. 

What  a  magnificent  illustration  this  would  be  to 
a  flat-earth,  stationary-earth,  revolving-sun  theorist! 
The  dayspring,  the  sun,  is  turned,  as  a  seal  to  the 
clay,  to  place  its  impression  upon  the  earth!  If  the 
earth  is  stationary,  and  the  sun  rolls  around  it,  and  if 
the  Bible  is  to  affirm  this,  here  is  a  noble  chance 
to  do  so. 

We  know  that  the  sun  does  act  upon  the  earth  much 
as  a  seal  acts  upon  the  clay.  Wherever  the  sunlight 
rests,  the  earth  responds  to  its  touch  as  clay  responds 
to  the  seal.  This  part  of  the  picture  seems  very  appro- 
priate.    But  to  suit  our  stationary-earth  friends,  the 


THE  IMPRESS  OF  UGHT  91 

language  should  be,  "It  [the  sun]  is  turned  as  the  seal 
to  the  clay."    But  it  reads,  "as  clay  to  the  seal." 

Let  us  supply  "earth"  in  the  place  of  "it,"  and  see 
what  meaning  we  gather.  "It  [the  earth]  is  turned  as 
clay  to  the  seal."  The  earth,  by  its  daily  rotation,  is 
turned  to  the  sun  as  clay  is  turned  to  the  seal.  But  to 
state  this  scientific  fact,  it  was  necessary  to  rearrange 
the  figure,  and  state  it  in  just  the  reverse  of  the  usual 
relation  of  the  seal  and  the  clay,  to  do  which  shows 
careful  thought.  Consider  this.  A  figure  most  happy 
and  appropriate  is  discovered.  This  is  the  figure  of  the 
clay  and  the  seal.  But  with  clay  and  seal,  the  seal, 
or  signet  ring,  is  turned  to  the  clay,  while  in  the  case 
of  earth  and  sun,  the  reverse  is  true;  that  is,  the 
earth,  the  clay,  is  turned  to  the  sun,  the  seal.  There- 
fore, to  use  the  figure  and  be  scientifically  exact,  it 
was  necessary  to  reverse  the  figure.  This  gives  us 
still  all  the  lesson  the  figure  can  give,  and  it  makes  the 
statement  scientific ;  but  to  one  searching  into  its  mean- 
ing, it  is  at  first  a  little  puzzling.  Yet,  understanding 
it,  we  must  admire  its  wealth  of  thought,  and  the  con- 
ciseness and  clearness  of  its  language. 

But  what  does  the  rest  of  the  verse  mean  ?  To  what 
does  that  last  clause  refer, — "and  they  stand  as  a  gar- 
ment" ? 

Turning  to  the  Revised  Version,  I  read,  "and  all 
things  stand  forth  as  a  garment." 

"And  all  things  stand  forth  as  in  rich  apparel." — 
Noyes's  translation. 

"And  they  stand  forth  as  in  gay  apparel." — Trans- 
lation of  the  American  Bible  Union. 


92  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

"And  everything  fashioneth  itself  as  in  a  garment." 
—  Translation  by  Delitzsch. 

"And  that  everything  might  appear  there  with  new 
garments." —  Translation  from  the  French,  by  Mrs. 
H.  R.  Salisbury. 

Do  you  catch  the  meaning?  The  earth  is  turned 
as  clay  to  the  seal;  and  in  catching  its  impression  as 
clay  receives  the  impression  of  the  seal,  everything 
grows  green  and  beautiful  under  the  influence  of  the 
sunbeams. 

"It  is  God  that  hath  appointed  the  dayspring  to  visit 
the  earth  (turns  the  earth  to  the  light),  and  dififuseth 
the  morning  light  through  the  air,  which  receives  it 
as  readily  as  the  clay  doth  the  seal  (verse  14),  imme- 
diately admitting  the  impression  of  it,  so  as  of  a  sud- 
den to  be  all  over  enlightened  by  it,  as  the  seal  stamps 
its  image  on  the  wax;  and  they  stand  as  a  garment, 
or  as  if  they  were  clothed  with  a  garment.  The  earth 
puts  on  a  new  face  every  morning,  and  dresseth  itself, 
as  we  do." — Matthew  Henry. 

"It  is  rolled  (turned)  as  clay  to  the  seal;  and  (all 
things)  stand  forth  as  in  splendid  attire." — Transla- 
tion by  Prof.  Homer  R.  Salisbury. 

"  Tt  is  rolled.'  The  'it'  refers  to  the  earth,  and  the 
verse  speaks  of  the  earth  shone  upon  by  the  morning 
sun." —  Salisbury. 

I  believe  that  this  verse  states  the  relation  of  the 
earth  and  the  sun  as  truthfully  as  any  living  man  can 
put  it.  More  than  that,  it  states  in  few  words  all  that 
men  have  decided  after  years  of  study.  The  earth, 
day  by  day,  even  hour  by  hour,  by  the  rotation  on  its 


THE  IMPRESS  OF  LIGHT  93 

axis  and  by  the  yearly  journey  in  its  orbit,  is  turned 
to  the  sun.  And  the  sun  touches  the  earth  with  light, 
and  leaves  there  its  impression,  even  as  the  seal  touches 
and  impresses  the  clay. 

And  now,  having  studied  this  passage  which  declares 
that  the  relation  of  earth  and  sun  is  that  of  clay  to 
seal,  let  us  read  a  few  lines  from  a  noted  scientist,  and 
see  how  nearly  the  same  idea  is  expressed  by  him, 
though  no  one  would  suppose  that  this  verse  from  the 
Bible  was  in  his  mind : 

"Our  world  is  a  halting  place  where  this  energy 
[from  the  sun]  is  conditioned.  Here  the  Proteus 
works  his  spells;  one  selfsame  essence  takes  a  million 
shapes  and  hues,  and  finally  dissolves  into  its  primi- 
tive and  almost  formless  form.  The  sun  comes  to 
us  as  heat;  he  quits  us  as  heat;  and  between  his  en- 
trance and  departure  the  multiform  powers  of  our 
globe  appear.  They  are  all  special  forms  of  solar 
power, —  the  molds  into  which  the  strength  is  tem- 
porarily poured,  in  passing  from  its  source  through 
infinitude/' —  John  TyndalL 

Though  these  two  illustrations  are  not  identical, 
they  are  aimed  at  the  same  great  truth.  The  Bible 
speaks  of  earth's  myriad  forms  as  the  response  of  clay 
to  seal;  they  are  the  stamp  of  the  sunlight  upon  the 
earth.  The  scientist  calls  these  forms  molds  into  which 
the  sunlight  is  poured.  Doubtless  Tyndall  himself 
would  admit  that  the  Bible  illustration  gives  far  the 
truer  conception.  Scientists  never  grow  tired  of  tell- 
ing how  much  we  receive  from  the  sun.  I  quote  a 
few  paragraphs  from  a  popular  book : 


94  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

"It  is  true  that  from  the  highest  point  of  view  the 
sun  is  only  one  of  a  multitude, —  a  single  star  among 
millions, —  thousands  of  which  probably  exceed  him 
in  brightness,  magnitude,  and  power.  He  is  only  a 
private  in  the  host  of  heaven. 

"But  he  alone,  among  the  countless  myriads,  is  near 
enough  to  affect  terrestrial  affairs  in  any  sensible  de- 
gree; and  his  influence  upon  them  is  such  that  it  is 
hard  to  find  the  word  to  name  it ;  it  is  more  than  mere 
control  and  dominance.  He  does  not,  like  the  moon, 
simply  modify  and  determine  more  or  less  important 
activities  upon  the  surface  of  the  earth,  but  he  is  al- 
most absolutely,  in  a  material  sense,  the  prime  mover 
of  the  whole.  To  him  we  can  trace  directly  nearly  all 
the  energy  involved  in  all  phenomena,  mechanical, 
chemical,  or  vital.  Cut  off  his  rays  for  even  a  single 
month,  and  the  earth  would  die;  all  life  upon  its  sur- 
face would  cease." 

"There  has  always  been  a  more  or  less  distinct  rec- 
ognition of  this  fact.  ... 

"But  while  the  material  supremacy  of  the  sun  has 
always  been  recognized  by  thoughtful  minds,  and  has 
even  been  made  the  foundation  of  religious  systems, 
as  with  the  Persians,  it  has  been  reserved  for  more 
modern  times,  and  to  our  own  century,  to  show  clearly 
just  how,  in  what  sense,  and  how  far  the  sunbeams  are 
the  life  of  the  earth,  and  the  sun  himself  the  symbol 
and  viceregent  of  the  Deity.  The  two  doctrines  of  the 
correlation  of  forces  and  the  conservation  of  energy, 
having  once  been  distinctly  apprehended  and  formu- 
lated, it  has  been  comparatively  easy  to  conform  them 


THE  IMPRESS  OF  LIGHT  95 

by  experiment  and  observation,  and  then  to  trace,  one 
by  one,  to  their  solar  origin,  the  different  classes  of 
energy  which  present  themselves  in  terrestrial  phe- 
nomena—  to  show,  for  instance,  how  the  power  of 
waterfalls  is  only  a  transformation  of  the  sun's  heat; 
and  that  the  same  thing  is  true,  a  little  more  remotely, 
but  just  as  certainly,  of  the  power  of  steam,  of  elec- 
tricity, and  even  of  animals.  The  idea  is  now  so 
familiar  that  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  dwell  upon  it, 
and  yet,  for  some  of  our  readers  at  least,  it  may  be 
worth  while  to  examine  it  a  little  more  closely. 

"Whenever  work  is  done,  it  is  by  the  undoing  of 
some  previous  work.  When  a  clock  moves,  it  is  the 
unwinding  of  a  spring  or  the  falling  of  a  weight 
which  keeps  it  going,  and  some  one  must  have  wound 
it  up  to  begin  with.  If  the  water  of  a  river  falls 
year  after  year  over  a  cataract,  and  it  is  intercepted 
to  drive  our  mill  wheels,  the  river  continues  to  run 
because  some  power  is  continually  raising  and  return- 
ing to  the  hilltops  the  water  which  has  flowed  into  the 
sea  —  a  process  precisely  equivalent  to  the  daily  re- 
winding of  the  clock.  If  the  powder  in  a  rifle  ex- 
plodes and  drives  out  the  bullet,  its  explosive  energy 
depends  upon  the  fact  that  some  power  has  placed 
the  component  molecules  in  such  relation  that,  when 
the  trigger  is  pulled,  and  the  exciting  spark  has,  so 
to  speak,  cut  the  bonds  which  hold  them  apart,  they 
rush  together  just  as  suspended  weights  would  fall 
if  free. 

"Before  the  same  substance,  which  once  was  a  charge 
of  gunpowder,  but  now  is  dust  and  gas,  can  again  do 


96  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

the  same  work,  the  products  of  the  explosion  must  by 
some  power  be  decomposed,  and  the  atoms  replaced 
in  the  same  relation  as  before  the  firing  of  the  gun; 
and  this  process  is  mechanically  analogous  to  the  lift- 
ing of  fallen  weights  and  placing  them  upon  elevated 
shelves,  or  hanging  them  from  hooks,  ready  to  drop 
again  when  the  occasion  may  require. 

"Precisely  the  same  thing  is  true  of  the  heat  pro- 
duced by  the  combustion  of  ordinary  fuel :  It  is  due  to 
the  collapse  of  molecules,  for  the  most  part  of  oxygen 
on  one  side,  and  carbon  and  hydrogen  on  the  other, 
which  have  been  separated  and  built  up  into  structures 
by  the  action  of  some  laboring  power. 

"The  same  can  be  said  of  animal  power,  for  all  in- 
vestigation goes  to  show  that  in  a  mechanical  sense 
the  body  of  an  animal  is  only  a  very  ingenious  and 
effective  machine,  by  means  of  which  the  living  in- 
habitant which  controls  it  can  utilize  the  energy  de- 
rived from  the  food  taken  into  the  stomach.  The  body, 
regarded  as  a  mechanism,  is  only  a  food  engine  in 
which  the  stomach  and  lungs  stand  for  the  furnace  and 
boiler  of  a  steam  engine,  the  nervous  system  for  the 
valve  gear,  and  the  muscles  for  the  cylinder.  How 
the  personality  within,  which  wills  and  acts,  is  put 
into  relation  with  this  valve  gear  so  as  to  determine 
the  movements  of  the  body  it  resides  in,  is  the  in- 
scrutable mystery  of  life;  the  facts  in  the  case,  how- 
ever, being  no  less  facts  because  inexplicable. 

"And  now,  when  we  come  to  inquire  for  the  source 
of  the  energy  which  lifts  the  water  from  the  sea  to 
the  mountain  top,  which  decomposes  the  carbonic  acid 


Anier.  Mas.  Nat.  History,  New  York. 


The  Total  Eclipse  of  the  Sun,  June  8,  1918 
From   the   painting   by   Howard    Russell    Butler,    N.  A.     The 
corona  and  the  prominences  appear  as  observed  through  thin 
clouds  at  the  U.  S.  Naval  Observatory  Station,  Baker,  Oregon. 


Tiih  C(iLi»  Atmosphere  of  Winter 


THE  IMPRESS  OF  LIGHT  97 

of  the  atmosphere,  and  plant  foods  of  the  soil,  and 
builds  up  the  hydrocarbons  and  other  fuels  of  animal 
and  vegetable  tissue,  we  find  it  always  mainly  in  the 
solar  rays.  I  say  mainly,  because,  of  course,  the  light 
and  heat  of  the  stars,  the  impact  of  meteors,  and  the 
probable  slow  contraction  of  the  earth,  are  all  real 
sources  of  energy,  and  contribute  their  quota.  But, 
as  compared  with  the  energy  derived  from  the  sun, 
their  total  amount  is  probably  something  like  the  ratio 
of  starlight  to  sunlight;  so  small  that  it  is  quite  clear, 
as  we  said  before,  that  a  month's  deprivation  of  the 
solar  rays  would  involve  the  utter  destruction  of  all 
activity  upon  the  earth." — "The  Sun/'  Young, 

All  this  is  true  enough.  But  while  we  keep  in  mind 
the  influence  of  the  sun,  let  us  not  forget  the  other 
side  of  the  subject.  The  sun,  it  is  true,  acts  with 
marvelous  power  upon  the  earth;  but  suppose  the 
earth,  like  the  moon,  perhaps,  did  not  respond  to  that 
influence  —  what  then?  While  we  get  a  true  value 
of  the  position  and  power  of  the  sun,  let  us  not  forget 
that  to  the  earth  has  been  imparted  the  power  to  re- 
spond to  the  sun's  influence.  If  this  power  of  re- 
sponding had  not  been  imparted  to  the  earth,  the  sun 
might  shine  here  forever,  without  effect.  But  while 
the  sun,  like  the  seal,  can  give  its  impression,  the 
earth,  like  the  clay,  has  the  power  to  respond. 

If  I  should  press  a  seal  upon  the  hard  surface  of 
a  granite  rock,  there  would  be  no  impress.  The  granite 
cannot  respond  to  the  seal.  But  when  I  place  the  seal 
upon  the  softened,  yielding,  responsive  clay,  or  wax, 
I  get  an  exact  impression  of  the  seal. 


98  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

Scientists  may  well  admire  the  power  that  the  sun 
exerts;  but  they  should  not  forget  this  other  great 
fact, —  that  the  earth  is  endowed  with  the  ability  to 
respond  to  the  sun's  influence.  We  should  have  a 
just  conception  of  the  sun  as  a  motive  power  in  the 
earth;  but  it  need  not  hide  from  our  minds  the  fact 
that  the  earth  has  its  part  to  do  in  making  the  proper 
response. 

The  sun  must  touch  the  earth  and  wake  it  to  its 
work,  energize  it  in  its  labors.  Without  the  sun,  the 
earth  would  remain  passive,  dead.  It  is  like  the  lump 
of  passive  clay:  if  it  does  not  receive  the  stamp  of 
the  seal,  there  will  be  no  image.  If  the  earth  is  not 
touched  by  the  sun,  it,  like  the  clay,  must  remain  a 
barren  void. 

The  response  of  the  clay  has  its  part  in  forming 
the  image  of  the  seal.  And  it  is  the  response  of  the 
earth  to  the  sunlight  that  makes  all  terrestrial  activity 
possible.  The  sun  must  impress,  but  the  earth  must 
respond.    Let  us  take  a  few  examples. 

Suppose  there  were  no  air  on  the  globe.  The  quan- 
tity of  vapor  would  almost  instantly  adjust  itself  to 
any  variation  of  temperature.  The  maximum  amount 
possible  would  thus  always  be  present  at  a  given 
place. 

"An  elevation  of  temperature  would  be  attended  by 
rapid  evaporation,  and  the  amount  of  water  required 
to  fill  the  space  would  suddenly  flash  into  vapor ;  while, 
on  the  other  hand,  a  corresponding  depression  in  tem- 
perature would  be  accompanied  with  an  equally  sudden 
precipitation  of  the  excess  of  water  which  the  air 


THE  IMPRESS  OF  LIGHT  99 

could  no  longer  contain,  not  in  genial  showers  or  dif- 
fuse rain,  but  in  terrific  torrents,  of  which  the  delug- 
ing showers  of  the  tropics  can  give  us  only  a  feeble 
conception;  for  the  drops  falling  without  resistance, 
would  be  as  destructive  in  their  effect  as  volleys  of 
leaden  shot." — Josiah  P.  Cooke,  Erving  professor  of 
chemistry  and  mineralogy  in  Harvard  University. 

Let  us  take  another  illustration.  A  general  law  of 
nature  is,  that  all  substances  are  expanded  by  heat  and 
contracted  by  cold.  Water,  except  within  certain  very 
narrow  limits,  to  be  considered  shortly,  form  no  ex- 
ception to  the  general  rule.  In  fact,  but  for  this  ex- 
pansion, it  would  be  difficult  to  heat  or  cool  large 
quantities  of  liquids. 

"All  liquids  are  very  poor  conductors  of  heat,  and 
can  be  heated  only  by  bringing  their  particles  suc- 
cessively in  contact  with  the  source  of  heat.  When 
you  set  a  teakettle  over  a  fire,  the  first  effect  of  the 
heat  is  to  expand  the  particles  of  water  resting  on  the 
bottom  of  the  kettle,  which,  being  thus  rendered  spe- 
cifically lighter,  rise,  and  are  succeeded  by  colder  par- 
ticles, which  are  heated  and  rise  in  their  turn ;  and  thus 
the  circulation  is  established  by  which  all  the  particles 
are  successively  brought  in  contact  with  the  heated 
bottom  of  the  kettle,  and  in  the  course  of  time  the 
temperature  of  the  whole  mass  is  raised  to  the  boiling 
point. 

"The  case  is  similar  when  you  add  ice  to  a  pitcher 
of  water  in  order  to  cool  it.  The  water  at  the  top  of 
the  pitcher,  in  contact  with  the  ice,  is,  of  course,  cooled, 
and  being  rendered  specifically  heavier  than  the  water 


100  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

below,  sinks  and  gives  place  to  the  warmer  water, 
which  is  cooled  and  sinks  in  its  turn,  and  thus,  as 
before,  a  circulation  is  established,  which  continues 
until  the  temperature  of  the  whole  water  is  reduced 
to  40°.  But  at  this  point,  the  circulation  is  entirely 
arrested;  for  in  consequence  of  its  singular  constitu- 
tion, water  at  39°  is  lighter  than  water  at  40°,  and  con- 
sequently remains  at  the  top.  And  so  it  is  as  the  tem- 
perature sinks  toward  the  freezing  point.  The  colder 
the  water,  the  lighter  it  becomes,  and  the  more  per- 
sistently it  remains  at  the  surface.  Hence,  although 
the  upper  layers  of  water  may  be  readily  cooled  to  the 
freezing  point,  yet,  in  consequence  of  its  poor  con- 
ducting power,  the  great  body  of  the  liquid  will  re- 
main at  the  temperature  of  40°. 

"The  cold  atmosphere  of  winter  acts  upon  the  ponds 
and  lakes  exactly  as  the  ice  on  the  water  in  the  pitcher. 
They  also  are  cooled  from  the  surface,  and  a  circula- 
tion is  established  by  the  constant  sinking  of  the  chilled 
water  until  the  temperature  falls  to  40°.  But  at  this 
point,  still  eight  degrees  above  the  freezing  point,  the 
circulation  stops.  The  surface  water,  as  it  cools  below 
this  temperature,  remains  at  the  top,  and  in  the  end 
freezes;  but  then  comes  into  play  still  another  pro- 
vision in  the  properties  of  water.  Most  substances  are 
heavier  in  their  solid  than  in  their  liquid  state;  but 
ice,  on  the  contrary,  is  lighter  than  water,  and  there- 
fore floats  on  its  surface.  Moreover,  as  ice  is  a  very 
poor  conductor  of  heat,  it  serves  as  a  protection  to  the 
lake,  so  that  at  the  depth  of  a  few  feet,  at  most,  the 


THE  IMPRESS  OF  LIGHT  101 

temperature  of  the  water  during  the  winter  is  never 
under  40°,  although  the  atmosphere  may  continue  for 
weeks  below  zero. 

"If  water  resembled  other  liquids,  and  continued  to 
contract  with  cold  to  its  freezing  point, —  if  this  ex- 
ception had  not  been  made, —  the  whole  order  of  na- 
ture would  have  been  reversed.  The  circulation  just 
described  would  continue  until  the  mass  of  water  in 
the  lake  had  fallen  to  the  freezing  point.  The  ice 
would  then  first  form  at  the  bottom,  and  the  congela- 
tion would  continue  until  the  whole  lake  had  been 
changed  into  one  mass  of  solid  ice.  Upon  such  a 
mass,  the  hottest  summer  would  produce  but  little 
effect ;  for  the  poor  conducting  power  would  then  pre- 
vent its  melting,  and  instead  of  ponds  and  lakes,  we 
should  have  large  masses  of  ice,  which  during  the 
summer  would  melt  on  the  surface  to  a  depth  of  only 
a  few  feet. 

"It  is  unnecessary  to  state  that  this  condition  of 
things  would  be  utterly  inconsistent  with  the  existence 
of  aquatic  plants  or  animals,  and  it  would  be  almost 
as  fatal  to  organic  life  everywhere;  for  not  only  are 
all  the  parts  of  the  creation  so  indissolubly  bound 
together  that,  if  one  member  suffers,  all  the  other 
members  suffer  with  it,  but  moreover,  the  soil  itself 
would,  to  a  certain  extent,  share  in  the  fate  of  the 
ponds.  The  soil  is  always  more  or  less  saturated  with 
water,  and,  under  existing  conditions,  in  our  temperate 
zone,  the  frost  does  not  penetrate  to  a  sufficient  depth 
to  kill  the  roots  and  seeds  of  plants  which  are  buried 
under  it.    But  were  water  constituted  like  other  liquids, 


102  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

the  soil  would  remain  frozen  to  the  depth  of  many 
feet,  and  the  only  effect  of  the  summer's  heat  would 
be  to  melt  a  few  inches  at  the  surface. 

"It  would  be,  perhaps,  possible  to  cultivate  some 
hardy  annuals  in  such  a  climate,  but  this  would  be  all. 
Trees  and  shrubs  could  not  brave  the  severity  of  the 
winter.  Thus,  then,  it  appears  that  the  very  existence 
of  life  in  these  temperate  regions  of  the  earth  depends 
on  an  apparent  exception  to  a  general  law  of  nature, 
so  slight  and  limited  in  its  extent  that  it  can  only  be 
detected  by  the  most  refined  scientific  observation." — 
Josiah  P.  Cooke,  Erving  professor  of  chemistry  and 
mineralogy  in  Harvard  University. 

These  illustrations  are  sufficient  to  show  us  how 
things  terrestrial  are  adapted  to,  and  respond  to,  the 
sun  and  its  heat.  It  is  true  that  the  heat  of  combus- 
tion, the  energy  of  life,  the  thunder  of  the  express 
train,  are  but  sun  power  working  in  some  other  form. 
This  is  all  wonderful.  But  that  the  things  of  earth 
are  adapted  to  this  energy  and  are  able  to  employ  this 
sun  power  is  no  small  part  of  the  wonder. 

And  in  the  study  of  this  adaptation  of  sun  to  earth, 
and  earth  to  sun,  with  all  their  multiform  phenomena, 
there  is  science  enough  for  any  man,  though  he  lived 
for  untold  ages.  But  the  earth  is  only  one  planet  out 
of  eight,  we  know;  and  each  planet  carries  its  own 
wealth  of  mysteries  and  wonders.  And  the  sun  is  only 
one  out  of  millions  in  the  universe.  What  a  wealth, 
then,  of  adaptations  of  suns  and  planets,  and  planets 
and  suns !  What  interweaving  of  power  and  influence, 
of  impression  and  of  response !     How  marvelous  the 


THE  IMPRESS  OF  LIGHT  103 

structure  of  the  universe !  What  a  field  for  the  human 
mind!  What  infinite  problems  and  untold  mysteries! 
What  countless  truths  ever  being  revealed,  yet  never 
fully  understood ! 

"It  is  turned."  The  earth  is  turned  by  some  agency. 
The  words  are  not,  "It  turns,"  but  instead,  "It  is 
turned/'  This  puts  the  agency,  the  power,  not  in  the 
earth,  but  outside  the  earth.  Therefore  that  science 
is  wrong  which  teaches  that  the  earth  makes  these 
movements  through  its  own  inherent  energy.  Then 
by  what  power  is  it  turned?  I  answer  the  question 
in  the  words  of  another: 

"It  is  not  by  an  original  power  inherent  in  nature 
that  year  by  year  the  earth  produces  its  bounties,  and 
the  world  keeps  its  continual  march  around  the  sun. 
The  hand  of  infinite  pozver  is  perpetually  at  work 
guiding  this  planet.  It  is  God's  power  momentarily 
exercised  that  keeps  it  in  position  in  its  rotations.  The 
God  of  heaven  is  constantly  at  work." — Mrs.  E.  G. 
White. 

Science  is  correct  in  saying  that  the  earth  moves 
around  the  sun;  it  is  correct  in  saying  that  the  earth 
rotates;  but  it  runs  into  error  when  it  seeks  to  show 
that  the  earth  so  moves  through  inherent  energy,  and 
that  in  this  work,  it  is  sufficient  unto  itself.  He  that 
made  "the  seven  stars  and  Orion"  (Amos  5:8),  and 
hung  "the  earth  upon  nothing"  (Job  26:7),  that 
"meted  out  heaven  with  the  span,  and  comprehended 
the  dust  of  the  earth  in  a  measure"  (Isa.  40: 12),  that 
brings  out  the  host  of  heaven  by  number,  calling  them 
all  by  their  names,  in  "the  greatness  of  His  might" 


104  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

(verse  26),  He  it  is  who  sends  the  earth  upon  its  des- 
tined way. 

Ever  and  ever  the  earth,  as  the  Word  declares,  is 
turned  to  the  sun,  as  clay  to  the  seal.  And  ever  and 
ever,  like  the  clay,  the  earth  responds  to  the  touch  of 
the  sunlight,  "and  all  things  stand  forth  in  splendid 
apparel."  The  sun"  paints  the  earth  with  the  hues  of 
its  light  reflected  in  sky  and  cloud,  in  the  tinting  of  the 
flowers  and  the  verdure  of  the  fields.  It  stamps  the 
earth  with  the  impress  of  its  light  and  heat,  and  vege- 
tation starts  forth  as  at  the  touch  of  a  magic  wand. 
Energized  by  its  power,  and  made  radiantly  glorious 
in  its  light,  the  earth  rolls  on  its  destined  way,  keeping 
time  to  "the  music  of  the  spheres." 


CHAPTER  X 

Celestial  Magnitudes 


44 


L 


O,  these  are  but  the  outlying  borders  of  His 
works;  and  how  small  a  whisper  do  we  hear 
of  Him !    But  the  thunder  of  His  power  who 
can  understand?" — Job. 

"The  planetary  system  occupies  a  portion  of  space 
nearly  six  thousand  millions  of  miles  across,  yet  this 
immense  distance  seems  to  be  but  a  mere  speck  in  im- 
mensity. Compared  with  the  nebula  of  Orion  alone, 
which  is  only  a  spot  in  the  heavens,  it  is  a  mere  point ; 
and  outside  of  the  planetary  system  are  a  multitude  of 
shining  orbs,  some  radiant  with  splendor,  some  faintly 
glimmering  with  beauty.  The  smallest  telescopic  aid 
suffices  to  increase  their  number  in  an  incredible  de- 
gree, while  with  the  full  power  of  the  grand  instru- 
ments now  in  use,  the  scenes  presented  in  the  starry 
heavens  become  actually  so  magnificent  as  to  stun  the 
imagination  and  overwhelm  the  reason.  Worlds  and 
systems  and  schemes  and  clusters  and  universes  rise 
in  sublime  perspective,  fading  away  in  the  unfathom- 
able regions  of  space,  until  even  thought  itself  fails 


105 


106  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

in  its  efforts  to  plunge  across  the  gulf  by  which  we 
are  separated  from  those  wonderful  objects." — Gen. 
O.  M.  Mitchel. 

It  is  quite  impossible  to  get  any  proper  idea  of  star 
distances.  Miles  are  far  too  small  as  units  in  the 
great  computation  necessary  to  express  these  dis- 
tances. A  larger  unit  becomes  absolutely  necessary. 
Astronomers  have  therefore  employed  the  light  unit, 
or  light  year.  Light  seems  almost  instantaneous ;  but 
so  far  as  our  eyes  are  concerned,  it  really  takes  time 
to  travel.  Its  velocity  has  been  measured  many  times, 
by  many  different  persons,  and  by  a  number  of 
thoroughly  reliable  methods ;  and  the  results  are  quite 
uniform,  showing  that  it  travels  at  a  rate  of  186,000 
miles  a  second,  or  a  little  over  11,000,000  miles  a 
minute.  The  distance  that  light  would  thus  travel  in 
a  year  is  obtained  by  multiplying  16,070,400,000  miles, 
one  day's  travel,  by  365,  or  5,865,696,000,000  miles. 
This  is  the  light  year ;  it  is  the  unit  for  measuring  dis- 
tances to  the  fixed  stars.  It  is  to  the  astronomer  what 
feet  are  to  the  carpenter,  or  what  rods  are  to  the  sur- 
veyor. 

The  immense  distance  over  which  light  can  move  in 
a  year  is  inconceivable  to  us.  Yet  there  are  stars  so 
far  removed  from  us  that  it  takes  their  light  hundreds 
of  years  to  reach  us.  Some  of  the  distances  from  us 
to  these  stars  have  actually  been  measured. 

'Tn  case  a  luminous  body  were  to  be  suddenly  called 
into  being,  and  located  in  space  at  the  distance  of  11,- 
160,000  of  miles  from  the  eyes  of  an  observer  who 
was  on  the  lookout  for  its  light,  this  light  would  not 


CELESTIAL  MAGNITUDES  107 

reach  him  until  one  minute  after  the  creation  of  the 
object;  and  should  it  suddenly  be  struck  from  exist- 
ence, the  observer  would  behold  it  for  one  minute  after 
the  extinction." 

And  now  just  a  few  words  as  to  the  parallax  of  the 
fixed  stars.  'If  it  were  possible  to  measure  on  the 
earth's  surface  a  base  line  of  a  thousand  miles  in 
length,  by  locating  an  observer  at  each  extremity  of 
this  base  with  instruments  suitable  to  fix  the  moon's 
place  among  the  fixed  stars,  the  telescopes  of  these 
two  observers,  directed  to  the  moon's  center  at  the 
same  instant,  would  incline  toward  each  other,  and 
the  visual  ray  from  each  of  these  instruments  would 
meet  at  the  moon's  center,  and  form  an  angle  with 
each  other." 

This  gives  a  triangle  whose  angles  are  marked  by 
the  moon  at  the  apex,  an  observer  at  each  end  of  the 
base  line.  One  observer  sees  the  moon  from  one 
direction,  and  the  other  observer  sees  it  from  another 
direction.  That  is,  to  each  observer,  the  moon  seems 
to  be  in  a  different  spot  in  the  sky.  This  displace- 
ment, or  difference  in  direction,  owing  to  the  different 
position  of  the  eye  that  views  it,  is  called  the  parallax. 

A  very  simple  experiment  will  help  you  to  see  that 
a  change  in  the  viewpoint  will  produce  an  apparent 
change  of  position  in  the  object  under  observation. 
For  example,  look  toward  the  wall  of  one  side  of  your 
room;  hold  the  index  finger  of  your  hand  erect  in 
front  of  you,  at  some  distance  from  your  face,  and 
close  the  left  eye.  You  will  now  see  that  your  finger 
covers  a  certain  spot  on  the  wall,  as  at  A.     Do  not 


108  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

move  your  finger,  but  open  your  left  eye,  and  close 
your  right.  The  finger  will  seem  to  change  its  posi- 
tion to  the  right,  and  cover  another  spot  on  the  wall, 
as  at  B.  In  the  language  of  astronomy,  this  apparent 
change  in  the  position  of  your  finger  is  called  its 
parallax. 

The  apparent  change  in  the  position  of  the  moon 
is  called  the  lunar  parallax,  that  of  the  stars  is  called 
the  stellar  parallax. 

In  the  measurement  of  the  triangle  before  mentioned, 
the  value  of  the  base  line  is  known,  being  marked  by 
the  position  of  the  two  observers.  By  the  methods 
of  trigonometry,  given  the  base  line  and  the  opposite 
angles,  it  is  a  very  simple  matter  to  ascertain  the 
length  of  either  side,  which  in  this  case  would  be  the 
distance  from  the  observer  to  the  moon. 

"Parallax,  then,  in  general,  is  the  apparent  change 
in  the  place  of  an  object,  occasioned  by  the  real  change 
in  the  place  of  the  spectator." 

With  the  sun,  the  moon,  and  the  planets,  a  base 
line  equal  to  the  diameter  of  the  earth,  or  about  eight 
thousand  miles,  has  sufficed  to  give  a  sensible  and 
measurable  parallax ;  but  when  we  attempt  by  this  base 
line  to  detect  a  movement  on  the  part  of  the  stars,  we 
fail  utterly.  If  we  view  a  star  with  the  proper  instru- 
ment, and  measure  its  position  in  the  heavens,  and 
move  eight  thousand  miles  from  that  spot  and  make 
another  measurement,  we  find  our  two  angles  the 
same.  With  a  base  line  only  eight  thousand  miles 
in  length,  we  can  detect  no  apparent  movement  on 
the  part  of  the  star;  it  has  no  parallax.     If  the  star 


CELESTIAL  MAGNITUDES  109 

were  anywhere  within  160,000  times  the  length  of  our 
base  Hne,  or  1,280,000,000  miles,  we  should  have  been 
able  to  detect  a  movement.  Therefore  the  star  is  more 
than  one  billion  two  hundred  and  eighty  millions  of 
miles  away;  but  how  much  outside  of  this,  we  have 
no  idea  until  we  have  made  other  calculations. 

To  assist  us  to  understand  how  small  must  be  the 
stellar  parallax,  we  have  but  to  consider  that  the  paral- 
lax of  the  moon  is  57';  Venus  and  Mars,  40";  and 
the  sun,  only  8.8". 

But  can  we  get  no  longer  base  line  than  this  eight 
thousand  miles?  We  have  made  one  observation  on 
one  side  of  the  earth,  and  another  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  earth,  and  these  two  points  are  eight  thousand 
miles  apart.  Can  we  find  a  longer  base  line?  —  Yes. 
We  may  make  an  observation  at  a  given  date,  wait 
just  half  a  year  till  the  earth  has  carried  us  half  around 
her  orbit  to  a  spot  in  space  precisely  opposite  to  our 
first  observation,  and  here  we  may  take  a  second.  Our 
base  line  now  is  a  straight  line  through  space,  inter- 
sected at  its  center  by  the  sun,  and  hence  measures  in 
length  twice  the  distance  from  earth  to  sun,  or  about 
one  hundred  and  eighty-five  millions  of  miles.  We 
now  have  a  base  line  more  than  twenty-three  thousand 
times  as  long  as  before.  Surely  with  such  a  change 
in  our  position,  we  shall  be  able  to  detect  an  apparent 
movement  of  the  star. 

But  even  with  this  immense  base  line,  men  sought 
for  years  to  find  the  parallax,  before  they  were  at 
length  successful.  "The  efforts  to  obtain  the  distance 
of  the  stars  had  been  unavailing.  ...  A  negative  solu- 


110  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

tion  had  indeed  been  reached.  That  their  distance  was 
enormous,  was  made  evident  from  the  fact  that  the 
parallax  had  remained  insensible,  even  under  the  most 
careful  and  delicate  instrumental  tests.  Any  absolute 
solution  began  almost  to  be  despaired  of,  when  hope 
was  again  revived  by  the  magnificent  refracting  tele- 
scopes, for  which  the  world  was  indebted  to  the  skill 
and  genius  of  the  celebrated  Fraunhofer,  of  Munich. 
This  great  artist,  aided  by  the  profound  science  of 
Bessel,  contrived  and  executed  an  instrument  of  ex- 
traordinary power,  and  especially  adapted  to  the  re- 
search for  the  parallax  of  the  fixed  stars. 

"Armed  with  micrometrical  apparatus  of  wonder- 
ful precision,  and  capable  of  executing  measures  of 
great  as  well  as  minute  distances,  the  telescope  was 
so  arranged  as  to  be  carried  forward  by  delicate  ma- 
chinery, with  a  velocity  exactly  equal  to  the  diurnal 
motion  of  the  object  under  examination.  To  give 
some  idea  of  the  delicacy  of  the  contrivance  with  which 
these  telescopes  have  been  provided,  it  is  necessary  only 
to  state  that  the  micrometer  of  the  great  refractory  of 
the  Cincinnati  Observatory  is  capable  of  dividing  an 
inch  into  80,000  equal  parts!  When  mechanical  in- 
genuity failed  to  construct  lines  of  mathematical  mi- 
nuteness, the  spider  lent  his  aid,  and  it  is  with  fibers 
of  his  delicate  web  that  these  measures  are  accom- 
pUshed.  Two  parallel  threads  of  a  spider's  web  are 
adjusted  in  the  focus  of  the  eyepiece  of  the  microme- 
ter, and  when  the  light  of  a  small  lamp  is  thrown  upon 
them,  the  eye,  on  looking  through  the  telescope,  sees 
two  minute  golden  wires,  straight  and  beautiful,  drawn 


CELESTIAL  MAGNITUDES  111 

across  the  center  of  the  field  of  view,  and  pictured 
upon  the  heavens.  These  are  within  the  control  of 
the  observer.  He  can  increase  or  decrease  their  dis- 
tance at  pleasure,  and  so  revolve  them  as  to  bring  them 
into  any  position,  every  motion  being  accurately 
measured  by  properly  divided  scales. 

"Suppose,  then,  it  is  desired  to  take  the  distance 
and  position  of  the  stars  forming  a  pair.  The  tele- 
scope is  directed  to  them,  and  they  are  brought  to  the 
center  of  the  field  of  view.  The  clockwork  is  set  in 
action;  it  takes  up  the  ponderous  instrument,  weigh- 
ing more  than  2,500  pounds,  and  with  the  most  as- 
tonishing accuracy  it  bears  it  onward,  keeping  its 
mighty  eye  fixed  on  the  object  under  examination. 
The  observer  is  thus  left  with  both  hands  free  to  make 
his  measures.  He  first  revolves  his  micrometer  spider's 
lines  round  until  one  of  them  shall  exactly  pass  from 
center  to  center  of  the  two  stars.  This  position  is 
noted,  and  from  it  is  deducted  the  angle  framed  by 
this  line  with  the  meridian.  He  then  revolves  them 
a  quarter  of  the  circumference,  and  they  are  perpen- 
dicular to  their  former  position.  He  now  separates 
the  wires  until  the  one  shall  exactly  bisect  one  star, 
while  the  other  wire  passes  through  the  center  of  the 
second  star,  reading  this  distance  on  the  proper  scale. 
He  has  fixed,  in  these  two  observations,  the  position 
and  distance  of  the  two  components  of  the  double 
set.  Such  is  the  precision  attained  in  this  work,  that 
the  most  minute  motions  cannot  escape  detection.  If 
the  stars  separate  from  each  other  at  so  slow  a  rate 
that  a  million  of  years  would  be  required  to  perform 


112  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

the  circuit  of  the  heavens,  their  motion  would  be  de- 
tected in  half  a  year. 

"With  machinery  more  delicate  even  than  this,  and 
better  adapted  to  the  purpose,  and  of  a  kind  some- 
what different,  Bessel  once  more  renewed  the  re- 
search after  the  unattainable  parallax  of  the  fixed 
stars.  His  great  instrument,  called  the  heliometer, 
was  mounted  as  early  as  1829,  but  a  multitude  of 
causes  and  some  unsuccessful  efforts  delayed  his  prin- 
cipal operations  up  to  August,  1837.  Three  great 
principles  guided  him  in  his  selection  of  61  in  the  Swan 
as  the  star  on  which  to  perform  his  observations. 
First,  it  was  affected  by  a  very  great  proper  motion, 
.  .  .  which  indicated  it  to  be  among  the  nearest  of  all 
the  stars.  Second,  its  duplex  character  adapted  it 
especially  to  the  instrument  he  was  about  to  employ. 
Third,  the  region  occupied  by  61  Cygni  contains  a 
number  of  minute  stellar  points,  close  to  the  double 
star,  and  presenting  admirable  fixed  points,  to  which 
the  relative  motion  of  the  two  components  of  the  star 
to  be  measured  might  be  referred. 

"With  these  advantages,  and  a  magnificent  instru- 
ment, Bessel  commenced  his  observations.  He  meas- 
ured the  distance  from  the  center  of  the  line  joining 
the  two  stars,  to  two  of  the  small  stellar  points,  which 
served  him  as  points  of  reference;  and  this  kind  of 
observation  was  repeated  night  after  night,  whenever 
the  stars  were  visible,  from  the  middle  of  August, 
1837,  up  to  the  end  of  September,  1838.  The  entire 
series  of  observations  was  then  taken  and  corrected 
for  every  possible  known  error,  and  in  case  any  ap- 


At  the  Eyepiece  of  a  Large  Telescope 


Sa 


A  Segment  of  the  Corona  of  the  Sun 
P^rom  a  pholograph  taken  at  the  ]\Iount  Wilson  Observatory, 
in    southern    California,    when    the    sun    was    in    total    eclipse. 


CELESTIAL  MAGNITUDES  113 

preciable  change  remained,  it  could  only  be  attributed 
to  parallax. 

"After  a  most  careful  and  elaborate  investigation, 
a  variation  commenced  to  show  itself,  increasing  pre- 
cisely as  parallactic  variation  ought  to  increase,  and 
diminishing  as  it  ought  to  diminish.  The  period  of 
these  changes  was  precisely  a  year,  and  in  all  particu- 
lars there  was  an  exact  correspondence  in  kind  with 
the  changes  which  ought  to  be  produced  by  parallax. 
But  such  was  their  minute  character  that  Bessel  hesi- 
tated. 

'^During  another  year,  the  observations  were  re- 
peated. The  same  results  came  out  and  the  previous 
values  were  confirmed.  A  third  year's  observations, 
yielding  precisely  the  same  values,  removed  all  doubt, 
and  the  great  Konigsberg  philosopher  announced  to 
the  world  that  he  had  passed  the  impassable  gulf  of 
space,  and  had  measured  the  distance  to  the  fixed 
stars!  But  how  shall  I  convey  any  adequate  idea  of 
this  stupendous  distance?  Millions  and  millions  of 
miles  serve  only  to  confound  the  mind.  Let  us  employ 
a  different  kind  of  unit. 

"Light,  as  we  have  seen,  travels  at  a  velocity  of 
11,160,000  miles  every  minute  of  time.  Hence  to 
reach  us  from  the  most  remote  of  all  the  planets,  Nep- 
tune, whose  distance  from  the  sun  is  about  2,791,600,- 
000  miles,  will  require  a  journey  of  slightly  over  four 
hours;  but  to  wing  its  flight  across  the  interval  which 
separates  our  sun  from  61  Cyg^i,  will  require  a  period 
not  to  be  reckoned  by  hours,  nor  by  days,  nor  months. 
Nearly  ten  years  of  time  must  roll  away  before  its 


114  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

flight,  flying  in  every  second  186,000  miles,  can  com- 
plete its  mighty  journey! 

"If  the  mind  revolts  at  this  conclusion;  if  the  dis- 
tance be  too  great  for  comprehension;  if  the  scale  of 
the  universe  thus  suggested  even  staggers  the  imagina- 
tion, I  can  only  say  that  all  subsequent  observation  has 
confirmed  in  the  most  satisfactory  manner  the  accuracy 
of  Bessel's  results.  This  great  astronomer  first  led 
the  way  across  the  mighty  gulf  which  separates  us 
from  the  fixed  stars.  The  distance  once  passed,  the 
route  has  become  comparatively  easy,  and  succeeding 
observers  have  determined  the  parallax  of  a  sufficient 
number  of  stars  to  show  that  their  results  are  entirely 
trustworthy." — Gen.  O.  M.  Mitchel. 

The  polestar,  or  north  star,  one  of  the  most  distant 
measured,  is  between  forty-five  and  sixty  light-years 
from  us ;  that  is,  the  light  from  the  polestar,  speeding 
at  the  rate  of  over  eleven  millions  of  miles  a  minute, 
occupies  from  forty-five  to  sixty  years  in  measuring 
the  distance  between  the  star  and  us.  Yet  such  enor- 
mous distances  are  as  mere  points  compared  with  the 
awful  measure  of  space  itself. 

Another  star,  Alpha  Centauri,  was  observed  for  its 
parallax  in  1842  and  in  1851,  by  two  different  observ- 
ers. The  first  result  was  3.6,  and  the  second  3.5,  Hght 
years.  "Observations  made  to  determine  whether  the 
star  shows  any  sign  of  an  annual  change  of  place  cor- 
responding to  the  earth's  annual  orbital  motion,  were 
rewarded  by  the  detection  of  a  very  appreciable  dis- 
placement. In  fact,  owing  to  the  motion  of  the  earth, 
each  year,  in  a  nearly  circular  orbit  185,000,000  miles 


CELESTIAL  MAGNITUDES  115 

in  diameter,  the  star  Alpha  Centauri  appears  to  trace 
out  each  year  a  minute  oval  path  on  the  celestial  sphere, 
the  greater  axis  of  the  oval  being  equal  in  length  to 
about  %oo  part  of  the  moon's  apparent  diameter. 

"It  follows  from  this  that  in  round  numbers  the 
distance  of  Alpha  Centauri  from  us  is  about  twenty 
milHons  of  millions  of  miles.  The  distance  of  the 
earth  from  the  sun  shrinks  into  insignificance  beside 
this  enormous  gap.  Even  Neptune,  though  circling 
round  the  sun  at  a  distance  thirty  times  farther  than 
that  which  separates  us  from  that  luminary,  is  yet 
relatively  so  much  nearer  than  Alpha  Centauri,  that 
a  sun  filling  the  whole  orbit  of  Neptune  would  appear, 
as  seen  from  that  star,  but  about  %oo  as  large  as  the 
sun  appears  to  us." —  Richard  Proctor. 

Do  not  miss  this.  Let  us  put  it  in  another  way : 
If  the  sun  were  so  large  that  it  reached  out  on  all  sides 
as  far  as  to  the  orbit  of  Neptune, —  in  other  words, 
if  it  were  a  blazing  sun  5,583  millions  of  miles  in 
diameter, —  seen  from  Alpha  Centauri,  it  would  appear 
but  %oo  as  large  as  the  sun  appears  to  us;  it  would 
seem  like  a  mere  point  of  light  in  space. 

Viewed  at  such  stupendous  distances  as  only  as- 
tronomy comprehends,  systems  and  universes  seem 
to  dwindle  to  mere  pin  points  when  related  to  some 
distant  parts.  "It  is  found  by  the  most  eminent  as- 
tronomers of  the  age,  and  the  most  perfect  instruments 
ever  made,  that  the  parallax  of  the  nearest  stars  does 
not  exceed  the  four-thousandth  part  of  a  degree,  or  a 
single  second."  Alpha  Centauri  is  the  nearest,  having 
a  parallax  of  .9  of  a  second,  "so  that,  if  the  whole  great 


116  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

orbit  of  the  earth  were  lighted  up  into  a  globe  of  fire 
600  millions  of  miles  in  circumference,  it  would  be 
seen  by  the  nearest  star  only  as  a  twinkling  atom ;  and 
to  an  observer  placed  at  this  distance,  our  sun,  with 
its  whole  retinue  of  planetary  worlds,  would  occupy 
a  space  scarcely  exceeding  the  thickness  of  a  fiber  of 
a  spider's  web." — Burritt. 

Thus  whole  systems,  as  that  of  our  sun,  "dwindle 
to  mere  pin  points"  as  viewed  from  some  distant  fixed 
star.  This  is  what  astronomy  says;  but  the  Word  of 
God  goes  further,  for  it  mentions  all  the  visible  stars 
of  heaven,  and  asserts  that  these,  all  that  are  within 
our  view,  are  but  the  extremities  of  the  lines  of  His 
works  —  that  is,  mere  points,  as  seen  from  the  immense 
distances  of  His  universe.  Not  merely  that  the  whole 
space  included  within  the  orbit  of  Neptune  is  a  mere 
extremity  of  a  line  as  seen  from  some  distant  confine 
of  space,  but  that  all  the  visible  heavens  are  but  mere 
points  when  compared  with  the  rest  of  God's  works. 
And  all  this  was  stated  as  long  ago  as  the  days  of 
Job.  In  spite  of  the  gigantic  strides  of  modern  as- 
tronomy, the  old  Bible  is  still  ahead,  and  so  far  ahead 
that  science  may  well  despair  of  ever  overtaking  it. 

Getting  some  idea  of  the  import  of  parallax,  we  are 
better  able  to  understand  James  i :  17.  These  con- 
siderations impart  a  force  and  sublimity  to  the  ex- 
pression of  the  apostle,  which  no  power  of  v/ords  could 
improve.  In  the  passage,  it  is  stated  literally  that 
with  God  there  "is  no  parallax  nor  shadow  of  turning." 
"As  if  the  apostle  had  said,  peradventure,  that  in  trav- 
eling millions  and  millions  of  miles  through  the  re- 


CELESTIAL  MAGNITUDES  111 

gions  of  immensity,  there  may  be  a  sensible  parallax 
to  some  of  the  fixed  stars;  yet  as  to  the  Father  of 
lights,  view  Him  from  whatever  point  ...  we  may, 
He  is  without  parallax  or  shadow  of  change." 

Thus  does  inspiration  anticipate  the  discoveries  of 
science,  by  seizing  upon  the  very  words  of  science  and 
giving  them  a  meaning  that  will  ever  grow  grander 
and  more  sublime  as  our  knowledge  advances  toward 
the  true  conception.  What  a  magnificent  picture  of 
the  immutability  of  God!  It  will  require  all  eternity 
to  fathom  the  meaning  of  this  one  passage  (James  i : 
17),  for  all  the  universe  is  employed  to  illustrate  its 
significance.  Thus  does  God  pack  an  eternity  of 
meaning  into  His  words,  and  load  a  whole  universe 
of  science  into  the  infinite  truths  of  the  Scriptures. 
Therein  has  He  revealed  His  eternal  purpose.  This 
is  a  textbook  that  can  never  grow  old,  a  science  that 
can  never  be  exhausted. 

But  how  much  of  an  idea  have  we  even  now  of  the 
immensity  of  the  universe?  All  our  efforts  to  under- 
stand the  tremendous  distances  only  confuse  and  as- 
tonish the  mind.  But  though  this  is  so,  let  us  make  one 
more  attempt  to  get  a  view  of  space.  Let  us  take  an 
imaginary  journey  to  some  of  the  visible  stars. 

"If  it  were  possible,  to-night,  to  wing  our  flight  to 
any  one  of  the  bright  stars  which  blaze  around  us, 
sweeping  away  from  our  own  system  until  planet  after 
planet  fades  in  the  distance,  and  finally  the  sun  itself 
shrinks  into  a  mere  star,  we  might  alight  on  a  strange 
world  that  circles  around  a  new  and  magnificent  sun, 
which  has  grown  and  expanded  in  our  sight  until  it 


118  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

blazes  with  a  magnificence  equal  to  that  of  our  own. 
Here  we  pause,  and  look  out  upon  the  starry  heavens 
which  surround  us. 

"We  have  passed  over  sixty  millions  of  millions  of 
miles.  We  have  reached  a  new  system  of  worlds,  re- 
volving about  another  sun;  and  from  this  remote 
point,  we  have  a  right  to  expect  a  new  heaven,  as  well 
as  a  new  earth  on  which  we  stand.  But  no;  lift  up 
your  eyes,  and  lo!  the  old  familiar  constellations  are 
all  there.  Yonder  blazes  Orion,  with  its  rich  and  gor- 
geous belt;  there  comes  Arcturus,  and  yonder  the 
Northern  Bear  circles  his  ceaseless  journey  round  the 
pole.  All  is  unchanged,  and  the  mighty  distance  over 
which  we  have  passed  is  but  the  thousandth  part  of  the 
entire  diameter  of  this  grand  cluster  of  suns  and  sys- 
tems, the  Milky  Way.  Although  we  have  swept  from 
our  sun  to  one  of  the  nearest  fixed  stars,  6i  Cygni,  and 
have  traveled  a  distance  which  light  itself  cannot  trav- 
erse in  less  than  ten  years,  the  change  wrought  by  this 
mighty  journey,  in  the  appearance  of  the  heavens,  is 
no  greater  than  would  be  produced  in  the  relative  posi- 
tions of  the  persons  composing  this  audience  to  a 
person  near  its  center,  who  should  change  his  seat 
with  his  immediate  neighbor. 

"Such,  then,  is  the  scale  on  which  the  starry  heavens 
are  built.  If,  in  examining  the  magnificent  orbits  of 
the  remoter  planets,  and  in  tracing  the  interminable 
career  of  some  of  the  far-sweeping  comets,  we  feared 
that  there  might  not  be  room  for  the  accomplishment 
of  their  vast  orbits,  our  fears  are  now  at  an  end." 
There  is  infinite  room. 


CELESTIAL  MAGNITUDES  119 

'It  has  been  considered  probable,  from  recondite  in- 
vestigations, that  the  average  distance  of  a  star  of  the 
first  magnitude  from  the  earth  is  nine  hundred  and 
eighty-six  thousand  radii  of  our  annual  orbit,  or  nine 
hundred  and  eighty-six  thousand  times  ninety-two 
million  miles,  a  distance  which  light  would  require 
fifteen  and  a  half  years  to  traverse;  and  further,  that 
the  average  distance  of  the  sixth  magnitude  (the  small- 
est distinctly  seen  without  a  telescope)  is  seven  mil- 
lion six  hundred  thousand  times  the  same  unit,  to 
traverse  which,  light,  with  its  prodigious  velocity, 
would  occupy  more  than  one  hundred  and  twenty 
years.  If,  then,  the  distances  of  the  majority  of  the 
stars  visible  to  the  naked  eye  are  so  enormously  great, 
how  are  we  to  estimate  our  distance  from  those  mi- 
nute points  of  light  discernible  only  in  the  powerful 
telescopes?" — Hind's  ''Astronomy,"  quoted  in  "The 
International  Cyclopedia." 

Thus  do  the  starry  systems  about  us  seem  to  be  but 
suburbs  of  a  vast  creation.  Whichever  way  we  may 
turn  our  eyes,  and  no  matter  how  powerful  we  make 
our  sight,  there  is  always  something  shining  beyond 
our  farthest  reaches  into  the  unending  universe  of 
God.  Job  was  right ;  and  with  him  we  cry,  "Lo,  these 
are  but  the  extremities  of  the  lines  of  His  works ;  and 
how  little  a  whisper  do  we  hear  of  Him!  But  the 
thunder  of  His  power  who  can  understand?" 

"God  called  up  from  dreams  a  man  into  the  vestibule 
of  heaven,  saying,  'Come  thou  hither,  and  see  the 
glory  of  My  house.'  And  to  the  servants  that  stood 
around  His  throne  He  said,  'Take  him,  and  undress 


120  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

him  from  his  robes  of  flesh;  cleanse  his  vision,  and 
put  a  new  breath  into  his  nostrils :  only  touch  not  with 
any  change  his  human  heart, —  the  heart  that  weeps 
and  trembles.'  It  was  done :  and  with  a  mighty  angel 
for  his  guide,  the  man  stood  ready  for  his  infinite 
voyage;  and  from  the  terraces  of  heaven,  without 
sound  of  farewell,  at  once  they  wheeled  into  endless 
space. 

"Sometimes  with  the  solemn  flight  of  angel  wing 
they  fled  through  Zaarahs  of  darkness,  through  wil- 
dernesses of  death  that  divided  the  worlds  of  life. 
.  .  .  Then,  from  a  distance  that  is  counted  only  in 
heaven,  light  dawned  for  a  time  through  a  sleepy  film ; 
by  unutterable  space  the  light  swept  to  them,  they  by 
unutterable  space  to  the  light.  In  a  moment,  the  rush- 
ing of  planets  was  upon  them;  and  in  a  moment,  the 
blazing  of  suns  was  around  them. 

"Then  came  eternities  of  twilight,  that  revealed,  but 
were  not  revealed.  On  the  right  hand  and  on  the  left 
towered  mighty  constellations  .  .  .  that  seemed  ghostly 
from  infinitude.  Without  measure  were  the  archi- 
traves, past  numbers  were  the  archways,  beyond  mem- 
ory the  gates.  Within  were  stars  that  scaled  the 
eternities  below;  above  was  below,  below  was  above, 
to  the  man  stripped  of  gravitating  body.  Depth  was 
swallowed  up  in  height  insurmountable;  height  was 
swallowed  up  in  depth  unfathomable.  Suddenly  as 
thus  they  tilted  over  abysmal  worlds, —  a  mighty  cry 
arose, —  that  systems  more  mysterious,  that  worlds 
more  billowy,  other  heights  and  other  depths,  were 
coming,  were  nearing,  were  at  hand. 


CELESTIAL  MAGNITUDES  121 

"Then  the  man  sighed,  and  stopped,  shuddered,  and 
wept.  His  overladen  heart  uttered  itself  in  tears,  and 
he  said:  'Angel,  I  will  go  no  farther;  for  the  spirit 
of  man  acheth  with  this  infinity.  Insufferable  is  the 
glory  of  God.  Let  me  lie  down  in  the  grave,  and  hide 
me  from  the  persecution  of  the  infinite ;  for  end,  I  see, 
there  is  none.'  And  from  the  listening  stars  that 
shone  around  issued  a  choral  voice:  'The  man  speaks 
truly:  end  there  is  none  that  ever  yet  we  heard  of.* 
'End  is  there  none?'  the  angel  solemnly  demanded;  'is 
there  no  end?  And  this  is  the  sorrow  that  kills  you?' 
But  no  voice  answered,  that  he  might  answer  himself. 
Then  the  angel  threw  up  his  glorious  hands  to  the 
heavens  of  heavens,  saying:  'End  there  is  none  to  the 
universe  of  God.  Lo,  also,  there  is  no  beginning !'  " — 
Richter. 


CHAPTER  XI 

The  Infinitude  of  Space 

IT  is  impossible  for  the  human  mind  to  put  any 
limit  to  space.  We  run  out  into  the  unfathomable 
abyss  as  far  as  imagination  will  carry  us,  and 
when  we  have  reached  the  utmost  limit,  and  imagina- 
tion carries  us  no  farther,  we  cannot  say  to  ourselves, 
"Here  is  the  end;"  for  immediately  the  only  barrier 
we  can  conceive  is  something  like  a  huge  wall,  and 
beyond  this  exists  still  untraced  and  immeasurable 
space.  We  can  imagine  as  much  beyond  our  limit  as 
exists  this,  side  of  that  limit ;  and  we  can  call  this  dis- 
tance a  unit,  and  multiply  it  by  any  factor  that  we 
are  pleased  to  choose, —  a  thousand,  a  million,  or  a  bil- 
lion,—  and  still  we  can  think  of  as  much  space  beyond 
as  that  which  we  have  covered  by  our  multiplication. 
Mathematically  the  human  mind  can  find  no  limit 
to  space.  From  this  fact  of  mind,  many  argue  that 
there  can  be  no  limit  to  space, —  that  it  extends  out 
beyond  forever,  like  eternity.  But  when  we  come  to 
this  decision,  the  mind  is  struck  with  the  awful  dis- 
closure,—  space  without  any  limitation  whatever !    The 

122 


THE  INFINITUDE  OF  SPACE  123 

mind  grows  dizzy  with  the  thought ;  the  heart  is  dumb 
with  awe.    Can  it  be  so?    Is  there  no  limit  to  space? 

We  will  suppose  it  is  evening.  Look  yonder  at  the 
Milky  Way.  "A  band,  or  irregular  stream,  of  soft 
light  is  perceived,  with  stars  at  intervals  dotting  its 
surface.  We  get  an  opera  glass,  and  look  through  it. 
Behold,  many  more  stars  are  visible,  with  the  band  of 
light  still  beyond.  We  get  a  small  telescope,  and  look 
through  that.  Very  many  stars  may  be  counted;  and 
still  the  band  of  soft  light  shines  beyond.  We  go  to  an 
observatory,  where  a  large  telescope  may  be  found; 
and  through  its  great  tube,  countless  stars  gleam  forth, 
hundreds  and  thousands  of  them,  where  first,  with  the 
naked  eye,  we  saw  only  a  few  twinkling  specks;  yet, 
still  the  band  of  light  shines  on  beyond,  unchanged. 
Lastly,  we  go  to  America,  and  observe  the  Milky  Way 
with  the  most  powerful  telescope  yet  made.  A  won- 
drous company  of  innumerable  stars  gUtter;  yet,  still, 
beyond  and  behind,  we  have,  as  ever,  the  dim,  soft 
light,  not  even  now  done  away,  not  even  now  resolved 
wholly  into  stars." — Agnes  Giberne. 

Can  we  ever  get  to  the  end  of  it  —  this  vast  uni- 
verse? Can  we  ever  be  able,  no  matter  what  our 
powers,  to  say,  "This  is  the  limit ;  we  have  seen  every- 
thing in  this  direction"?  Is  there  no  Hmit  to  space? 
Have  we  no  certain  answer  to  this  question  ? 

"Suppose  that  one  of  the  highest  order  of  intelli- 
gences is  endowed  with  a  power  of  rapid  motion  su- 
perior to  that  of  light  (186,000  miles  a  second),  and 
with  a  corresponding  degree  of  intellectual  energy; 
that  he  has  been  flying  without  intermission  for  six 


124  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

thousand  years,  and  will  continue  the  same  rapid  course 
for  a  thousand  million  years  to  come.  It  is  highly 
probable,  if  not  absolutely  certain,  that,  at  the  end 
of  his  vast  tour,  he  would  have  advanced  no  farther 
than  the  'suburbs  of  creation,'  and  that  all  the  mag- 
nificent systems  of  material  and  intellectual  beings  he 
had  surveyed  during  his  rapid  flight,  and  for  such  a 
length  of  ages,  bear  no  more  proportion  to  the  whole 
empire  of  Omnipotence  than  the  smallest  grain  of  sand 
does  to  all  the  particles  of  matter  contained  in  the  ten 
thousand  worlds. 

''Were  a  seraph,  in  prosecuting  the  tour  of  creation 
in  the  manner  now  stated,  ever  to  arrive  at  a  limit 
beyond  which  no  further  displays  of  divinity  could 
be  perceived,  the  thought  would  overwhelm  his  facul- 
ties with  unutterable  emotions;  he  would  feel  that  he 
had  now,  in  some  measure,  comprehended  all  the  plans 
and  operations  of  Omnipotence,  and  that  no  further 
manifestations  of  the  divine  glory  remained  to  be  ex- 
plored. But  we  may  rest  assured  that  this  can  never 
happen  in  the  case  of  any  created  intelligence." 

And  now  the  brain,  lost  in  the  frightful  sweep  of  its 
thought,  fairly  swims  in  its  efforts  to  comprehend  the 
infinite.  But  is  this  all  true  ?  —  It  seems  true ;  it  seems 
reasonable,  and  almost  certain.  But  in  answer  to  this 
question,  have  we  naught  but  speculations,  and  reason- 
ings, and  almost  certain  probabilities?  Is  there  no 
word  from  God  ?  —  Yes.  Wondering  and  questioning, 
I  turn  to  His  Word,  and  read :  "Thus  saith  the  Lord ; 
//  heaven  above  can  he  measured,  ...  I  will  also 
cast  off  all  the  seed  of  Israel  for  all  that  they  have 


THE  INFINITUDE  OF  SPACE  125 

done,  saith  the  Lord."  Jer.  31 :  37.  Ah,  my  soul,  that 
Word  must  be  sure!  "Saith  the  Lord"  comes  as  the 
introduction,  and  "saith  the  Lord"  follows  as  the 
close.  "Thus  saith  the  Lord;  If  heaven  above  can  be 
measured,  ...  I  will  also  cast  off  all  the  seed  of  Israel 
for  all  that  they  have  done,  saith  the  Lord."  "Saith 
the  Lord"  and  "saith  the  Lord" — surely  this  must  be 
true ! 

And  what  is  it  that  the  Lord  says  ?  —  He  says  that 
if  heaven  above  can  be  measured, —  not  if  you  or  some- 
body else  can  measure  it,  but  if  it  can  be  measured,  no 
matter  how, —  He  will  give  Israel  up,  and  thereby 
acknowledge  that  He  has  failed.  If  even  His  works 
can  be  measured  by  His  creatures,  then  He  acknowl- 
edges that  He  will  no  longer  appear  before  them  as 
God.  It  will  go  on  record  that  God  has  failed.  But 
blessed  be  His  name,  He  cannot  fail.  He  "never  fail- 
eth."  I  Cor.  13:8.  ''He  shall  not  fail  nor  be  dis- 
couraged." Isa.  42 : 4.  "Thus  saith  God  the  Lord,  He 
that  created  the  heavens,  and  stretched  them  out ;  .  .  . 
I  the  Lord  have  called  thee  in  righteousness,  and  will 
hold  thine  hand,  and  zvill  keep  thee.  ...  I  am  the 
Lord :  that  is  My  name :  and  My  glory  will  I  not  give 
to  another.''  Isa.  42 : 5-8.  Israel  will  not  be  cast  off, 
and  therefore  the  heavens  cannot  be  measured.  One 
is  as  sure  as  the  other,  and  each  is  as  sure  as  God  is 
true. 

Space  is  immeasurable,  and  God  has  taken  this  fact 
as  the  everlasting  foundation  of  one  of  His  promises. 
Thus  does  He  link  His  Word  and  His  works.  And 
when  you  think  of  the  awful  infinitude  of  space,  will 


126  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

it  help  you  to  realize  the  surety  of  His  covenant?  As 
you  look  out  yonder  into  the  abyss  that  reaches  onward 
to  the  stars, —  yea,  that  stretches  into  an  expanse  as 
measureless  as  eternity, —  will  your  soul  rise  to  the 
thought  that  thus  there  is  no  limit  to  all  that  He  will 
do  for  your  soul?  God  help  us  all  to  realize  that 
forever  and  ever  we  shall  be  unable  to  see  all  that 
there  is  to  see  of  His  goodness,  and  of  "the  exceeding 
riches  of  His  grace  in  His  kindness  toward  us  through 
Christ  Jesus,"  even  as  we  see,  and  ever  as  we  see,  that 
there  is  no  limit  to  the  infinite  fullness  of  His  works. 
May  God's  promises  be  to  us  all  this.  And  filled 
with  thoughts  of  the  majestic  and  stupendous  power 
that  upholds  the  soul  that  trusts  in  God,  like  Jeremiah 
when  the  truth  was  first  revealed  to  him,  may  we  say : 
"Ah  Lord  God!  behold,  Thou  hast  made  the  heaven 
and  the  earth  by  Thy  great  power  and  stretched  out 
arm,  and  there  is  nothing  too  hard  for  Thee."  Jer. 
32 :  17. 


CHAPTER  XII 

As  the  Moon 

WHENEVER  you  consult  an  almanac  to  know 
when  there  will  be  a  full  moon,  or  to  know 
when  the  moon  will  rise  or  when  it  will  set, 
and  when  you  consult  a  table  of  the  tides  to  learn  the 
time  of  the  high  or  the  low  tide,  you  are  in  that  study- 
ing, though  it  may  be  unconsciously,  a  commentary 
on  one  of  the  verses  in  the  Bible.  You  are  simply 
showing  your  practical  reliance  upon  a  great  fact,  and 
that  is  the  faithfulness  of  the  moon.  *'Once  have  I 
sworn  by  My  holiness  that  I  will  not  lie  unto  David. 
His  seed  shall  endure  forever.  ...  It  shall  be  estab- 
lished forever  as  the  moon,  and  as  a  faithful  witness 
in  heaven."    Ps.  89 :  35-37. 

The  moon  is  a  faithful  witness  in  the  heavens. 
Through  the  ages,  it  has  kept  its  appointed  place,  fol- 
lowed its  destined  path,  and  never  disappointed  hu- 
manity. Our  astronomers  have  mapped  its  orbit,  have 
outlined  its  course  years  ahead;  they  tell  us  when  it 
will  be  new,  when  it  will  wax  old,  just  how  long  it  will 
be  in  each  quarter,  just  what  part  of  the  heavens  it 

127 


128  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

will  occupy;  and  this  is  possible  because  it  keeps  its 
way  steadfastly,  faithfully,  never  erratic,  never  whim- 
sical, never  doing  anything  unexpected  or  unan- 
nounced.   It  is  a  faithful  witness  in  heaven. 

This  faithfulness  is  not  due  merely  to  the  perfection 
of  the  machinery  of  the  solar  system.  It  is  rather  a 
reflection  of  the  perfection  and  faithfulness  of  Him 
who  ordained  it.  God  is  the  cause  of  the  uniformity 
of  nature.  He  it  is  who  has  made  the  universe  what 
it  is,  and  given  us  its  stability,  perfection,  and  en- 
durance. 

David  speaks  of  the  moon  in  words  like  these: 
"When  I  consider  Thy  heavens,  the  work  of  Thy 
fingers,  the  moon  and  the  stars,  which  Thou  hast  or- 
dained; what  is  man,  that  Thou  art  mindful  of  him? 
and  the  son  of  man,  that  Thou  visitest  him?"     Ps. 

8:3,4. 

This  question  is  asked,  not  by  one  who  believed 
what  the  heathen  believed, —  that  the  earth  was  set  in 
the  center  of  a  crystal  globe,  and  that  out  not  so  very 
far  away  there  were  lights  which  were  lighted  at  night 
and  extinguished  in  the  morning, —  a  child's  picture 
of  the  universe.    No,  indeed ! 

These  are  words  spoken  by  one  inspired  by  the 
Spirit  of  God,  that  Spirit  which  searches  all  things, 
even  "the  deep  things  of  God."  It  reveals  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  universe  which  modern  astronomy  has  not 
begun  to  approach.  When  a  person  grasps  some  of  the 
revelations  of  modern  science,  when  he  views  the 
skies  with  the  mightiest  of  our  modern  telescopes, 
when  he  sweeps  the  heavens  with  all  the  power  that 


The  Muun  in  thk  Eightekx-Dav  Phase 


Halley's  Comet,  as  Seen  in  the  Early  Morning 

Named  from  Halley,  who  first  ascertained  its  return  around 

the  sun  in  a  period  of  about  seventy-five  years.     It  appeared 

last  in  1910. 


AS  THE  MOON  129 

modern  science  has  placed  at  the  command  of  the  eye 
and  mind  of  man,  what  language  can  adequately  ex- 
press the  feelings  that  enrapture  him?  Where  alone 
can  man  turn  for  words  suitable  to  voice  his  emotions 
when  the  sights  of  the  skies  thrill  the  imagination,  stir 
the  conscience,  and  awaken  the  heart?  Only  the  lan- 
guage of  inspiration  can  cover  all  the  range  of  the 
feelings;  only  the  words  of  Scripture  can  flux  the 
thoughts,  and  make  them  flow  unimpeded,  absolutely 
free,  through  the  great  channels  of  the  soul. 

It  is  at  such  times  that  one  turns  with  gladness,  with 
rapture,  to  quote  the  words  given  by  inspiration  of 
God.  It  is  then  that  the  devout  astronomer  exclaims, 
"When  I  consider  Thy  heavens,  the  work  of  Thy 
fingers,  the  moon  and  the  stars,  which  Thou  hast  or- 
dained; what  is  man,  that  Thou  art  mindful  of  him? 
and  the  son  of  man,  that  Thou  visitest  him  ?" 

This  is  true  because  every  word  of  God  is  pure,  and 
unlimited  in  the  fullness  of  its  meaning.  When  God's 
Word  speaks  in  facts  of  nature,  it  does  not  glimpse 
just  a  few  of  the  facts,  as  would  be  the  case  if  depend- 
ent upon  a  partial  knowledge ;  but  the  Spirit  of  God, 
when  it  mentions  the  great  things  of  God,  has  in  full 
view  every  fact  of  God's  universe  that  is  involved  in 
the  statement,  and  it  speaks  in  language  large  enough, 
grand  enough,  that  no  future  discoveries  or  ages  of 
study  can  possibly  make  it  in  any  sense  out  of  date. 

Before  men  swept  the  heavens  with  gigantic  tele- 
scopes, the  Spirit  of  God  read  everything  in  all  the 
vast  ocean  of  the  universe.  Telescopes  will  never  peer 
beyond  its  unmeasured  scrutiny.     Eye  of  man  will 


130  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

never  behold  anything  not  comprehended  by  its  un- 
limited knowledge.  The  mind  of  man  will  never  grasp 
anything  but  that  which  the  Spirit  of  God  has  already 
searched  out  and  given  for  the  benefit  of  man  in  its 
inspired  lessons. 

Sometimes  the  intellect  divorced  from  faith  views 
these  stupendous  spectacles  in  the  heavens  to  point  the 
soul  only  to  despair;  but  not  so  the  Word.  Agnosti- 
cism and  philosophical  speculations  and  scientific  soph- 
istry would  read  but  a  portion  of  this  scripture.  It 
would  change  it  to  something  like  this :  "When  I  con- 
sider the  heavens,  the  incomprehensible  work  of  the 
universe,  the  moon  and  stars  in  their  vastness,  what 
is  man?"  The  whole  import  of  the  question  is  then 
to  overwhelm  man  with  his  insignificance,  and  make 
him  feel  that  he  is  merely  a  bubble  of  foam  on  the 
great  tossing  waves  of  immensity.  As  Daniel  Webster 
once  said,  "Philosophical  objections  have  sometimes 
shaken  my  mind  with  regard  to  Christianity,  especially 
the  objection  drawn  from  the  magnitude  of  the  uni- 
verse contrasted  with  the  littleness  of  this  planet." 
And  the  argument  becomes  more  striking,  the  feelings 
are  affected  more  intensely,  when  we  contrast  all  this 
might  not  merely  with  the  planet,  but  with  each  one 
of  us  as  a  puny  individual ;  but  faith  arises  and  faces 
the  difficulty. 

The  quotation  from  Daniel  Webster  is  not  complete. 
He  continued,  "But  my  heart  has  always  assured  me 
and  reassured  me  that  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  is  a 
divine  reality."  And  he  began  his  statement  with  the 
words,  "Lord,  I  believe;  help  Thou  mine  unbelief." 


AS  THE  MOON  131 

These  words  he  left  to  be  inscribed  on  his  sepulcher, 
and  they  are  chiseled  in  the  marble  that  rests  over  his 
dust  at  Marshfield.    Worthy  faith  ! 

The  Scriptures  would  call  our  attention  to  the  great- 
ness of  God's  universe,  and  therefore  to  the  might  of 
the  God  of  the  universe,  but  not  to  discourage  or  to 
awaken  distrust.  The  scripture  reads:  "When  I  con- 
sider Thy  heavens,  the  work  of  Thy  fingers,  the  moon 
and  the  stars,  which  Thou  hast  ordained ;  what  is  man, 
that  Thou  art  mindful  of  him?  and  the  son  of  man, 
that  Thou  visit  est  him?  For  Thou  hast  made  him  a 
little  lower  than  the  angels,  and  hast  crowned  him  with 
glory  and  honor." 

This  was  true  of  man  when  created ;  and  though  by 
sin  he  has  lost  it  for  himself,  through  Christ  it  is  still 
true  for  men.  In  Christ,  God  still  makes  him  a  little 
lower  than  the  angels ;  and  in  Christ,  God  still  clothes 
him  with  glory  and  honor.  And  this  is  the  great  result 
of  a  proper  study  of  astronomy.  When  rightly  we 
consider  the  heavens,  the  work  of  God's  fingers,  the 
moon  and  the  stars,  which  He  has  ordained,  it  does 
not  arouse  any  distrust;  it  merely  causes  us  to  realize 
the  love  of  God,  that  He  should  remember  anything 
so  small  as  a  human  being.  It  magnifies  the  love  of 
God,  but  does  not  throw  any  discredit  upon  Him.  It 
wonders  at  the  condescension  of  God  as  it  says,  "What 
is  man,"  that  God  should  do  this  ?  It  cries  out  in  faith, 
"Behold,  what  manner  of  love  the  Father  hath  be- 
stowed upon  us." 

What  the  stars  alone,  what  the  moon  itself,  could 
not  tell,  the  gospel  of  the  Son  of  God  does  tell.    And 


132 


ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 


if  we  have  been  awed  by  the  might  of  God  displayed 
in  His  vast  universe,  we  are  awed  by  the  depth  of  His 
love  displayed  in  the  blessed  gospel  of  His  Son ;  for  we 
know  that  He  who  is  so  great  that  He  has  stretched 
out  the  universe  as  you  and  I  would  pitch  a  tent, 
nevertheless  "so  loved  the  world,  that  He  gave  His 
only-begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  Him 
should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life." 

As  we  look  at  the  skies, —  at  the  stars  in  their  ap- 
pointed course,  at  all  the  celestial  bodies  keeping  their 
mighty  orbits,  the  spheres  rotating  in  the  vast  deeps  of 
the  creation, —  we  cannot  dispute  the  might  of  God; 
and  when  we  view  the  cross  of  Christ,  the  wonderful 
condescension  of  the  Father  in  giving  His  Son,  we 
cannot  dispute  the  immeasurable  love  of  God. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

Stars  Innumerable 

AGES  ago  the  Word  declared  the  stars  of  the 
heavens  to  be  innumerable.  Years  have  come 
and  gone;  man's  knowledge  of  the  skies  has 
been  augmented;  research  through  times  and  seasons 
has  added  its  stores  of  facts  to  the  science  of  astron- 
omy.    To-day  we  say  still,  the  stars  are  innumerable. 

In  Abraham's  day,  even  as  now  and  always,  the  eye 
could  count  all  the  stars  seen  in  the  skies.  If  it  were 
a  mere  human  task  God  called  Abraham  to  undertake, 
he  could  soon  accomplish  it.  It  would  not  be  difficult 
to  count  all  the  stars  visible  even  in  his  fine  climate. 
With  a  little  skill  and  perseverance,  he  could  soon  know 
the  number  in  sight. 

But  it  was  the  Creator  of  the  universe  who  called 
Abraham  forth,  and  thus  he  saw  by  the  more  than 
telescope  of  God's  enabling.  He  could  look  deeper 
than  any  others  of  the  sky  gazers  of  his  time.  He 
could  fathom  the  universe  spread  out  to  his  sight.  To 
Christ  were  shown  the  kingdoms  of  the  world  and  the 
glory  of  them,  even  by  the  ability  of  a  fallen  angel. 

133 


134  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

John  saw  beyond  the  crash  of  earthly  empires  to  the 
kingdom  of  God.  And  Abraham  saw  to  the  deeps  of 
the  material  universe. 

It  is  therefore  clear  enough  that  if  Abraham  could 
have  counted  all  the  stars  to  which  God  called  his  at- 
tention, and  they  were  but  what  one  would  ordinarily 
see,  say  about  fifteen  hundred,  then  this  whole  passage 
in  Genesis  from  the  life  record  of  Abraham  is  a  piece 
of  nonsense,  and  presents  a  stupendous  farce.  God 
speaks  as  though  the  task  were  impossible:  "Tell  the 
stars,  if  thou  be  able  to  number  them."  If  Abraham 
had  found  himself  able  to  number  them,  we  are  quite 
sure  that  he  would  have  obeyed  God,  and  told  the 
number  of  the  stars.  But  Abraham  was  silent,  awed 
by  the  sight.    The  task  was  beyond  him. 

According  to  the  modern  skeptic,  who  views  it  only 
from  the  merely  human  standpoint,  it  was  an  easy 
task;  "there  were  but  fifteen  hundred."  Think  of  the 
all-wise  Creator  of  the  universe  calling  Abraham  out 
to  look  at  fifteen  hundred  stars,  and  saying,  "Tell  the 
stars,  if  thou  be  able  to  number  them." 

But  as  Abraham  beheld  the  countless  shining  orbs 
of  heaven,  now  first  made  visible  to  him  as  seen  from 
the  Creator's  viewpoint,  God  broke  upon  the  awful 
silence  with  the  revelation  of  another  great  fact :  "So 
shall  thy  seed  be."  If  Abraham  saw  the  stars  as  they 
really  were,  what  an  overwhelming  fact  it  was:  "So 
shall  thy  seed  be."  Surely  it  must  draw  upon  the  faith 
of  even  Abraham ;  but  we  read  that  Abraham  "believed 
in  the  Lord;  and  He  [God]  counted  it  to  him  for 
righteousness."    But  as  the  modern  critic  would  have 


STARS  INNUMERABLE  135 

it,  all  this  was  done  to  reveal  to  Abraham  that  he  was 
to  have  fifteen  hundred  descendants!  There  were 
wandering  nomads  in  those  days  with  a  larger  pos- 
terity than  that.  Thus  does  the  too  wise  man  charge 
God  and  His  Word  with  folly.  Here  is  an  occasion 
where  we  may  well  say,  "Let  God  be  true,  but  every 
man  [who  disputes  Him]  a  liar." 

God  did  not  say  that  there  is  no  number  to  the  stars 
of  heaven;  but  He  appeals  to  man's  inability  to  count 
them.  God  "telleth  the  number  of  the  stars."  Yes, 
He  even  "calleth  them  all  by  their  names."  Ps.  147: 
4;  Isa.  40:26.  Likewise  God  did  not  say  that  Israel 
should  be  of  the  precise  number  of  the  stars  or  the 
number  of  the  dust  of  the  earth.  True,  He  said,  'T 
will  make  thy  seed  as  the  dust  of  the  earth."  But  in 
what  respect  were  they  to  be  made  as  the  dust  of  the 
earth? — ''So  that  if  a  man  can  number  the  dust  of  the 
earth,  then  shall  thy  seed  also  be  numbered."  Abra- 
ham's seed  were  not  to  be  of  the  precise  number  of  the 
dust  of  the  earth,  but  "as  the  dust  of  the  earth,"  and 
"as  the  sand  of  the  seashore,"  for  the  reason  that  they 
would  be  beyond  human  computation.  So  God  said 
concerning  the  stars :  "Look  now  toward  heaven,  and 
tell  the  stars,  if  thou  be  able  to  number  them:  ,  .  .  so 
[beyond  human  computation]  shall  thy  seed  be." 
Surely  God  meant  what  He  said,  and  Abraham  did 
well  to  believe;  for  John  caught  a  view  of  that  same 
company,  "a  great  multitude,  which  no  man  could 
number/'   Rev.  7 : 9. 

In  this  text  of  Genesis  just  as  it  reads,  with  no 
allowance  or  modification,  we  find  revealed  a  truth  of 


136  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

astronomy  which  is  far  beyond  human  ideas  or  human 
conception,  and  that  modern  astronomy  itself  is  only 
beginning  to  appreciate.  I  believe  God  has  held  that 
truth  before  man  ever  since  man  took  his  place  upon 
this  earth;  and  nearly  four  thousand  years  ago  He 
gave  it  to  Abraham  and  his  seed,  coupled  with  the 
great  truth  of  those  who  should  be  saved. 

*'Of  the  number  and  economy  of  the  stars  which 
compose  this  group  [the  Milky  Way],  we  have  very 
little  exact  knowledge.  Herschel  informs  us  that, 
with  his  best  glasses,  he  saw  and  counted  five  hundred 
and  eighty-eight  stars  in  a  single  spot,  without  moving 
his  telescope;  and  as  the  gradual  motion  of  the  earth 
carried  these  out  of  view,  and  introduced  others  suc- 
cessively in  their  places,  while  he  kept  his  telescope 
steadily  fixed  to  one  point,  there  passed  over  his  field 
of  vision  one  hundred  and  sixteen  thousand  stars;  and 
at  another  time,  in  forty-one  minutes,  no  less  than  two 
hundred  and  fifty-eight  thousand.  At  other  observa- 
tions, when  examining  a  section  of  the  Milky  Way, 
apparently  not  more  than  one  yard  in  breadth  and 
six  in  length,  he  discovered  fifty  thousand  stars  large 
enough  to  be  distinctly  counted;  and  he  suspected 
twice  as  many  more,  which,  for  want  of  sufficient  light 
in  his  telescope,  he  saw  only  now  and  then." — ''Geog- 
raphy of  the  Heavens"  page  142. 

Let  us  in  imagination  visit  some  large  observatory. 

"We  enter  the  building,  lantern  in  hand,  and  rolling 
open  a  large  segment  of  the  dome,  stand  beside  the 
telescope  under  the  starry  sky.  Looking  up  at  the 
glorious  spectacle  of  the  midnight  heavens,  we  recall 


STARS  INNUMERABLE  137 

the  fact  that  from  two  thousand  to  two  thousand  five 
hundred  stars  are  visible  in  the  northern  hemisphere 
to  the  naked  eye.  .  .  . 

"But  the  stars  which  are  thus  visible  form  only  a 
small  part  of  those  whose  existence  is  known  to  us. 
On  that  table  there  lies  a  binocular  glass.  Take  it  up 
and  look  at  any  part  of  the  heavens  through  it,  and 
see  what  a  multitude  of  stars,  it  brings  into  view  utterly 
invisible  to  the  naked  eye !  The  binocular  forms  an 
admirable  and  inexpensive  instrument  for  elementary 
astronomical  research,  especially  when  used  with  maps 
of  the  starry  heavens.  Proctor's  star  atlas  is  one  of 
the  simplest  and  best  for  this  purpose,  showing,  with- 
out crowding,  all  the  stars  in  the  British  Association 
catalogue  down  to  the  sixth  magnitude. 

"As  we  turn  over  the  twelve  maps  of  this  atlas,  we 
note  the  fact  that  they  exhibit  2,487  and  3,466  stars 
in  the  northern  and  southern  hemispheres,  5,953  in  all, 
and  that  the  British  Association  catalogue  from  which 
they  are  taken,  professes  to  include  all  the  stars  visible 
to  the  naked  eye. 

"But  now  turning  to  a  more  extensive  catalogue,  we 
take  down  a  volume  of  1,200  pages  —  Lalande's  cata- 
logue of  stars  —  which  gives  the  right  ascension  and 
north  polar  distances  of  47,390  stars,  or  nearly  48,000 
stars;  and  as  the  heavens  are  divided  by  astronomers 
into  twenty- four  parts,  corresponding  with  the  twenty- 
four  hours  of  the  day  and  night,  each  of  the  hour  sec- 
tions would  contain  on  an  average  2,000  of  these  stars, 
or  about  as  many  as  are  ordinarily  seen  in  the  entire 
hemisphere  by  the  naked  eye.     But  what  are  even 


138  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

48,000  stars  compared  with  the  number  which  can  be 
seen  with  a  small  telescope  of  three  inches  aperture? 
Look  at  the  stars  on  this  chart  of  the  northern  hemis- 
phere representing  those  seen  by  Argelander  and  his 
assistants  during  their  persevering  survey  of  the  north- 
em  heavens  with  a  2^-inch  telescope.  There  are  no 
less  than  324,198  stars  marked  on  that  chart!  They 
lie  almost  as  crowded  together  as  the  sands  upon  the 
seashore ;  and  in  parts,  especially  along  the  Milky  Way, 
the  crowding  is  frequently  so  great  as  to  make  it  im- 
possible to  distinguish  star  from  star!  That  chart  is 
a  photograph  made  by  Proctor  from  Argelander's 
maps.  Turning  the  light  of  the  lantern  full  upon  it, 
you  may  observe  that  some  hand  has  written  with  pen 
and  ink  below  its  marvelous  picture  of  the  star-filled 
hemisphere  the  sublime  yet  simple  and  touching  words 
of  Jesus  Christ,  *In  My  Father's  house  are  many 
mansions.' 

"But  now  let  us  use  the  larger  instrument  to  scan 
some  of  the  wonders  of  the  heavens.  Let  us  direct 
it  first  to  the  constellation  Perseus;  and  as  we  have 
to  find  a  particular  spot  in  the  constellation,  we  set  the 
equatorial  telescope  by  means  of  its  hour  circle  to  2  hr. 
II  m.  right  ascension,  and  elevate  it  to  56  38  north 
declination,  and  having  rotated  it  so  that  the  hour 
on  the  meridian  corresponds  with  that  shown  at  the 
moment  by  the  sidereal  clock,  we  mount  the  steps  of 
the  ladder  and  look  through  the  instrument.  A  bril- 
liant mass  of  stars,  apparently  countless  in  number, 
now  fills  the  field  of  view!  That  is  the  magnificent 
cluster  of  stars  in  the  sword  handle  of  Perseus.    After 


STARS  INNUMERABLE  139 

gazing  for  a  time  at  this  sublime  celestial  spectacle,  on 
slightly  moving  the  direction  of  the  instrument,  a 
second  glorious  cluster  comes  into  view,  also  of  stars 
from  the  seventh  to  the  fifteenth  magnitudes;  and  all 
these  stars  are,  as  separate  objects,  invisible  to  the 
naked  eye. 

"We  might  spend  the  whole  night  in  thus  examining 
star  clusters,  and  would  only  then  have  begun  their 
survey.  But  let  us  glance  for  a  moment  at  one  of  the 
many  clusters  remarkable  for  spherical  form  and  com- 
pactness. Directing  the  telescope  to  i6  hr.  37  m.  right 
ascension  and  36  39  north  declination,  a  wondrous  ball 
of  stars  blazes  up  in  the  center  of  the  field  of  view. 
That  mighty  system  is  known  to  astronomers  by  the 
modest  name  of  13  M.  Herculis,  indicating  that  it  is 
the  thirteenth  in  Messier's  catalogue  of  nebulae,  and 
is  situated  in  the  constellation  Hercules.  It  was  dis- 
covered by  Halley  in  1714,  and  examined  by  Messier 
with  a  four-foot  Newtonian  instrument  fifty  years 
later,  who  was  able  to  resolve  it  into  separate  stars. 
With  this  large  equatorial  it  is  perfectly  resolved  even 
with  low  power  eyepiece,  while  with  the  eyepieces  of 
higher  power  it  seems  to  blaze  and  break  into  separate 
stars  and  star  branches  streaming  out  from  a  dense 
core  of  glittering  light  points.  Language  utterly  fails 
to  adequately  describe  such  an  object.  It  has  been 
truly  said  that  none  could  behold  it  for  the  first  time 
without  uttering  a  *shout  of  wonder.'  And  yet  that 
system  of  worlds  is  only  one  among  thousands,  and 
has  not  even  a  name  assigned  to  it,  being  only  known 
among  astronomers  by  its  number,  13  M.  Herculis  I 


140  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

"And  now,  changing  again  the  direction  of  the 
telescope,  we  bring  it  to  bear  on  the  Milky  Way,  that 
faint,  mysterious  river  of  light,  which  streams  all 
across  the  midnight  sky.  Pointing  the  telescope  to 
the  edge  of  the  Milky  Way,  and  moving  it  slowly 
across  its  breadth,  and  then  in  the  direction  of  its 
length,  we  see  that  it  really  consists  of  miUions  of 
minute  stars  closely  crowded  together,  along  with 
larger  stars  and  star  clusters.  And  the  Milky  Way 
thus  traversing  the  sky  goes  completely  round  the 
world,  crossing  the  southern  hemisphere,  and  return- 
ing again  to  the  northern,  in  a  vast  ring-like  form, 
made  up  of  closely  compacted  stars  and  star  clusters 
all  the  way. 

"We  have  spoken  of  star  catalogues  and  star  maps 
representing  thousands  of  stars,  but  here  are  mil- 
lions! It  has  been  reckoned  that  the  highest  tele- 
scopic power  brings  into  view  no  less  than  fifty  or 
sixty  millions  of  stars,  and  photography  has  of  late 
enormously  increased  the  number  known  to  exist  by 
revealing  multitudes  of  stars  too  faint  to  be  detected 
even  by  the  most  powerful  telescope." — "Creation  Cen- 
tered in  Christ,"  pages  40^-412. 

"Wider  and  wider  fields  are  ever  opening  before 
the  human  gaze.  Vaster  and  vaster  universe  depths 
are  ever  sought  into.  And  still,  boundless  fields  be- 
yond, unfathomable  depths  below,  reward  the  utmost 
efforts  of  which  man  is  capable.  Many  different  com- 
putations have  been  made  from  time  to  time,  as  to 
the  probable  number  of  the  stars,  bright  and  dim, 
which  may  lie  within  the  grasp  of  the  most  powerful 


STARS  INNUMERABLE  141 

telescope  yet  made.  The  sum  of  some  sixty  or  seventy 
million  seems  at  present  to  be  a  moderate  reckoning." 

"There  are  stars  in  the  sky  so  distant  that  the  most 
huge  object  glass  ever  constructed  cannot  catch  enough 
of  their  feeble  glimmer  to  impress  their  image  in  the 
human  eye.  No  man  has  ever  seen  those  stars  from 
this  world ;  perhaps  no  man,  looking  from  this  world, 
will  ever  see  a  great  many  of  them.  And  yet  those 
very  stars  are  known  to  astronomers ;  and  the  position 
of  many  of  them  is  marked  on  the  celestial  map.  You 
do  not  need  to  ask  how  this  can  be.  You  already  know 
that  the  weak  shining,  which  cannot  make  itself  felt 
by  the  retina  of  a  man's  eye,  can  slowly  impress  its 
image  on  the  photographic  plate.  Hundreds  of  stars, 
thousands  of  stars,  utterly  invisible  to  man,  have  had 
their  photographs  taken  as  truly  as  you  have  had  your 
photograph  taken,  only  it  has  been  a  longer  business." 

*Tf  the  stars  which  are  known,  and  which  can  be 
known,  through  photography  alone,  are  added  to  the 
list  of  those  known  through  the  telescope,  the  numbers 
again  rise  fast.  According  to  one  supposition,  the 
total  of  one  hundred  miUion  may  be  fairly  given;  ac- 
cording to  another,  two  hundred  million  may  be  well 
within  the  mark.  And  even  this  vast  mass  may  still 
be,  for  aught  that  we  know  to  the  contrary,  as  a  mere 
corner  of  the  universe." — ''Radiant  Suns." 

Magnificent  glasses  now  scan  the  heavens.  The 
photographic  plate  nightly  is  turned  to  the  sky  to  re- 
ceive its  silent  record.  But  as  night  follows  night,  and 
the  record  grows  more  complete,  the  witness  grows 
also  more  emphatic,  and  the  declaration  is  forced  from 


142  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

the  startled  intelligence  of  man,  The  stars  of  the  heav- 
ens are  mnumerable. 

With  the  most  gigantic  telescopes,  man  cannot  num- 
ber all  the  stars.  With  the  aid  of  the  most  exquisitely- 
sensitive  photographic  plates,  man  cannot  get  the  auto- 
graph of  all  the  orbs  shining  in  the  stellar  depths.  The 
stars  are  to  us  innumerable. 

God  formed  the  heavens.  He  scattered  the  deeps 
of  space  with  the  glories  of  uncounted  suns,  the  won- 
ders of  attendant  planets  and  satellites.  They  all  par- 
take of  His  infinity.  The  stars  of  heaven  are  beyond 
the  computation  of  man;  the  stars  of  God  are  to  us 
innumerable. 

With  this  new  view  of  the  infinity  of  God's  shining 
orbs,  we  have  a  new  realization  of  that  truth  which 
declares  that  there  shall  be,  like  the  stars,  vast  num- 
bers of  those  who  shall  wash  their  robes  and  make  them 
white, —  a  great  multitude  no  man  can  number.  To 
create  the  innumerable  suns,  God  had  but  to  speak  the 
word.  The  whole  host  of  them  obeyed  "the  breath 
of  His  mouth."  But  to  bring  forth  the  host  of  the 
saved,  the  Son  of  God  left  glory  and  eternal  blessed- 
ness to  lead  men  from  sin  to  the  purity  of  God.  And 
we  may  be  laborers  together  with  Him  in  this  work 
in  these  the  closing  hours  of  time. 

God  grant  that  we  may  be  of  that  uncounted  host, 
and  that  we  may  bring  at  least  one  other  with  us  to 
swell  the  untold  number.  And  God  grant  that  we  may 
see  Him  whose  blood  cleanses  us  white,  and  praise 
with  immortal  tongues  both  Him  and  the  great  and 
loving  Father  in  the  glory  land  beyond  the  stars. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

The  Fixed  Stars 

TO  the  unaided  eye,  the  stars  seem  to  hold  the 
same  relative  positions  in  the  heavens  from  age. 
to  age.  Orion  and  the  Pleiades,  Arcturus,  and 
the  twelve  signs  of  the  zodiac,  are  mentioned  in  the 
book  of  Job.  If  Abraham  could  once  more  look  upon 
the  skies  we  behold,  he  would  see  the  stars  as  he  saw 
them  thousands  of  years  ago,  when  God  "brought 
him  forth  abroad,  and  said,  Look  now  toward  heaven, 
and  tell  the  stars,  if  thou  be  able  to  number  them."  To 
the  unassisted  eye,  not  a  single  star  seems  to  have 
moved  from  its  place. 

This  seeming  fixity  of  place  misled  men  for  a  time. 
It  was  supposed  that  the  stars  had  no  proper  motions 
of  their  own.  But  in  time,  it  was  discovered  that  the 
planets,  including  the  earth,  are  in  motion  about  the 
sun ;  the  satellites  were  in  motion  about  their  planets ; 
and  the  comets  were  ranging  the  mighty  orbits  through 
the  skies.  Where  there  was  so  much  motion,  the  ques- 
tion arose,  Are  the  stars  fixed  as  they  seem  to  be? 
Have  they  no  motion  of  their  own^ 

143 


144  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

"Before  it  became  possible  to  examine  with  abso- 
lute certainty  the  places  of  the  stars,  with  a  view  to 
ascertain  their  absolute  fixity,  many  difficult  prelimi- 
nary preparations  had  to  be  accomplished.  Instru- 
ments of  the  most  perfect  kind  must  be  provided,  not 
only  in  their  optical  performances,  but  in  their  space- 
dividing  machinery.  Moreover,  the  places  of  the  stars, 
as  determined  by  the  best  telescopes,  must  be  corrected 
for  every  possible  instrumental  error.  The  two  points 
to  which  the  stars  are  referred  are  the  north  pole  and 
the  vernal  equinox.  In  case  any  motions  belong  to 
these  points,  their  amounts  and  directions  must  be 
ascertained  and  allowed  for.  Then  the  effects  of  re- 
fraction, and  of  the  aberration  of  light,  were  indis- 
pensable to  a  perfect  investigation  of  the  absolute  places 
of  the  stars. 

"All  these  and  many  other  preliminary  matters  hav- 
ing been  satisfactorily  determined,  it  became  possible 
to  examine,  in  the  most  critical  manner,  the  places  of 
the  stars,  and  to  learn  whether  indeed  (as  had  been 
supposed  for  thousands  of  years)  their  configurations 
were  eternal  and  unchangeable,  or  whether  they  moved 
among  themselves  with  a  motion  rendered  so  slow  by 
their  immense  distance,  as  hitherto  to  have  escaped  the 
most  scrutinizing  watch. 

"Fully  armed  with  the  necessary  instruments,  it  did 
not  require  many  years  to  determine  the  grand  truth, 
that  among  the  ten  thousands  of  stars  which  fill  the 
heaven,  not  a  solitary  one,  in  all  probability,  is  in  a 
state  of  absolute  rest.  Many  were  found  to  move  so 
swiftly  that  their  velocity  was  determined  in  a  single 


•j^^^Ri 

SP-0-^;- 

[^^BWWMUMkj- 

.:  *:  if*''^)l:' 

i'i^-'jh^'!'-  f. 

•^         •  v'v;;..:-  ..---'"WW^ 

F 

I 

„  "  .  -•'^ 

I 

1 

"^^^im 

i 

l! 

"■Hwl^ 

r- 

^ 

-  • 

! 

^ 

f 

* 

ik^: 

Great  Star  Cloud  in  Sagittarius 


Region  of  the  Great  Nebula  of  Rho  Ophiuchi 
''Upon  a  cloudless,  moonless  night,  we  look  above  us." 


THE  FIXED  STARS  145 

year;  while  others,  in  consequence  of  their  enormous 
distance,  may  require  centuries  to  detect  any  appre- 
ciable change.  In  the  outset,  these  extraordinary  move- 
ments seemed  to  be  directed  by  no  law  —  some  stars 
were  sweeping  in  one  direction,  and  some  in  another. 

"Motion,  ceaseless,  eternal  motion,  seems  to  be 
stamped  on  the  entire  universe;  and  while  the  stars 
are  pursuing  their  mighty  orbits,  we  cannot  resist 
the  idea  that  our  own  sun,  the  center  of  our  great 
planetary  system,  itself  a  star,  must  participate  in  the 
general  movement,  and  is,  in  all  probability,  urging  its 
flight,  accompanied  by  all  its  planets,  satellites,  and 
comets,  to  some  unknown  region  of  space. 

"When  forced  to  acknowledge  the  rotation  of  our 
globe  on  its  axis,  and  its  swift  orbital  motion,  sur- 
rounded by  wheeling  planets  and  flying  comets,  the 
mind  naturally  retreats  to  the  sun  as  the  great  immov- 
able center,  where  it  can  rest  and  contemplate  these 
circling  worlds.  But  even  here  there  is  no  rest.  The 
sun  himself  is  a  subordinate  member  of  a  grander 
combination  of  worlds,  and,  obedient  to  higher  in- 
fluence, sweeps  around  in  its  immeasurable  orbit. 

"Herschel  succeeded,  at  least  approximately,  in 
sounding  the  profundities  of  the  Milky  Way,  and  fixed 
the  relative  position  of  our  own  sun  among  the  stars 
by  which  it  is  surrounded.  He  found  it  to  be  located 
not  very  far  distant  from  the  center  of  the  great  stra- 
tum, and  near  the  line  where  the  principal  current  of 
stars  divides  into  two  great  streams  which  for  a  time 
separate  from  each  other,  but  finally  reunite  in  a  dis- 
tant region  of  the  heavens. 


10 


146  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

"Having  accomplished  this  much,  this  great  astrono- 
mer attempted  the  resolution  of  the  grand  problem  of 
the  sun's  movement  through  space.  This  investigation 
is  so  lofty,  so  daring  and  utterly  incomprehensible  at 
the  first  glance,  that  its  mere  announcement  produces 
little  effect  on  the  mind.  Consider  for  one  moment 
what  it  involves.  Man  is  located  on  a  planet  almost 
infinitely  larger  than  himself.  This  planet  is  swiftly 
revolving  on  its  axis,  and  in  its  orbit  round  a  great 
central  luminary,  the  sun.  The  daring  philosopher 
participates  in  all  these  motions.  He  provides  himself 
with  instruments  which  measure  the  distances  and 
positions  of  the  almost  infinitely  distant  fixed  stars. 
These  fixed  stars,  when  subjected  to  his  critical  ex- 
amination, cease  to  be  fixed,  and  are  found  to  be  mov- 
ing with  astonishing  velocity  in  all  directions.  Among 
these  he  numbers  his  own  sun;  and  although  borne 
along  in  the  progressive  motion  of  his  own  great  cen- 
ter, he  ventures  to  attempt  the  determination  of  the 
fact  of  its  actual  motion,  the  direction  in  which  it 
moves,  and  the  velocity  with  which  it  is  sweeping 
through  space. 

"After  as  extended  an  examination  as  the  data  with 
which  he  was  then  furnished  permitted,  Herschel  an- 
nounced his  belief  that  the  solar  system  was  moving 
through  space  toward  a  point  in  the  constellation  of 
Hercules. 

"The  announcement  of  this  astonishing  result  was 
received  with  hesitation  and  doubt  by  the  best  living 
astronomer,  and  Herschel  died  before  any  confirmation 
of  his  great  theory  had  been  obtained.    After  his  death, 


THE  FIXED  STARS  147 

for  nearly  half  a  century,  no  mind  seemed  willing  to 
renew  the  investigation.  The  theory  fell  into  disre- 
pute, and  was  only  regarded  as  a  bold  and  sublime 
speculation,  but  not  founded  on  any  well  determined 
observations." 

During  the  present  century,  the  problem  has  en- 
gaged the  attention  of  some  of  the  distinguished  as- 
tronomers of  Russia.  "Argelander,  of  Bonn,  led  the 
way,  and  by  a  train  of  reasoning  based  upon  extensive 
and  accurate  observations,  has  sustained  and  demon- 
strated, in  the  most  undeniable  manner,  not  only  the 
general  truth  of  Herschel's  theory,  but  has  even  con- 
firmed the  direction  in  which  that  astronomer  believed 
the  solar  system  to  be  moving." 

The  final  result  of  Argelander's  work  settled  proba- 
bly forever  the  grand  fact  that  the  sun,  with  its  entire 
cometary  and  planetary  system,  is  sweeping  through 
space  toward  a  point  whose  place  must  fall  somewhere 
within  the  circumference  of  a  circle  whose  diameter  is 
about  equal  to  four  times  that  of  the  moon. 

'The  reality  of  the  solar  motion  once  determined, 
astronomers  have  not  been  wanting  to  verify  and  ex- 
tend this  wonderful  examination.  Argelander's  results 
have  been  confirmed  by  the  investigations  of  M.  Otho 
Struve,  the  son  of  the  distinguished  director  of  the 
Imperial  Observatory  of  Pulkovo;  and  if,  on  any 
fair  night,  you  direct  your  eye  to  the  constellation  of 
Hercules,  and  select  from  its  stars  the  two  marked  on 
the  globe  with  the  Greek  letters  ir  and  />t,  on  the  line 
joining  these  stars,  and  at  a  distance  from  ir  equal  to 
one  quarter  of  the  distance  which  divides  the  stars, 


148  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

will  be  found  the  point  toward  which  the  sun  was  di- 
recting his  course  in  the  year  1840." — "Planetary  and 
Stellar  Worlds/'  Mitchel. 

"About  twenty  different  determinations  of  the  point 
in  the  sky  toward  which  this  motion  of  the  sun  is 
directed  have  been  worked  out  by  various  astronomers, 
using  in  their  discussions  the  angular  proper  motion 
of  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  hundred  stars.  All  the 
investigations  present  a  reasonable  accordance  of  re- 
sults, differing  from  each  other  only  by  a  few  degrees, 
and  show  that  the  sun  is  nozv  moving  toward  a  point 
in  the  constellation  of  Hercules,  having  a  right  ascen- 
sion of  about  267°  and  a  declination  of  about  ji°. 
This  point  is  known  as  the  'apex  of  the  sun's  way!  " — 
Young's  "Astronomy." 

Having  found  the  direction  of  the  solar  motion,  the 
next  question  was  its  actual  velocity.  It  will  hardly 
be  wise  to  attempt  an  explanation  here  of  the  method 
by  which  this  result  was  sought.  But  this  much  has 
been  determined :  The  velocity  of  the  sun  in  its  course 
through  the  heavens  has  been  found  to  be  such  as 
would  carry  the  sun  and  its  system  about  5"  in  100 
years,  as  seen  from  the  average  sixth  magnitude  star 
(the  sixth  magnitude  being  the  smallest  easily  visible 
to  the  naked  eye).  If  we  knew  the  distance  of  this 
average  sixth  star,  we  could  translate  the  motion  of 
the  sun  into  miles.  But  we  can  only  estimate  with 
some  degree  of  accuracy  the  distance  of  the  average 
sixth  magnitude  stars.  Qn  the  reasonable  assumption 
of  Ludwig  Struve,  that  this  distance  is  about  20,000,- 
000  times  the  astronomical  unit,  the  velocity  of  the 


THE  FIXED  STARS  149 

sun's  motion  through  space  is  nearly  sixteen  miles  a 
second. 

"And  now  do  you  demand  how  much  reliance  is  to 
be  placed  on  this  bewildering  announcement?  I  an- 
swer that  as  to  the  reality  of  the  solar  motion,  there 
is  not  one  chance  out  of  four  hundred  thousand  that 
astronomers  have  been  deceived.  We  cannot  resist 
the  evidence;  and  startling  as  the  truth  appears,  we 
are  obliged  to  yield  our  assent,  reluctant  though  it 
may  be,  to  the  logical  reasoning  by  which  this  mag- 
nificent result  has  been  demonstrated. 

"But  whither  is  our  system  tending?  If  moving 
onward  with  such  tremendous  velocity,  is  there  not 
danger  that  erelong  it  may  reach  the  region  of  the 
fixed  stars,  and  by  sweeping  near  the  other  suns  and 
systems,  derange  the  order  of  the  planetary  worlds? 
Let  us  examine  this  question  for  one  moment,  on  the 
hypothesis  that  the  sun  alone  is  moving  among  all  the 
stars  of  heaven,  and  that  it  will  hold  on  in  its  present 
direction  until  it  shall  reach  the  star  in  Hercules  toward 
which  it  is  now  urging  its  flight.  This  star  is  one  of 
the  third  magnitude;  and  according  to  our  statement 
already  made,  the  mean  distance  of  its  class  is  such 
that  its  light  does  not  reach  us  in  a  period  less  than 
forty-six  years.  Executing  the  calculation,  we  find 
that  in  case  the  solar  system  should  continue  to  pro- 
gress toward  the  star,  it  cannot  pass  the  enormous  in- 
terval, even  at  33>550>ooo  miles  per  annum,  in  less  than 
1,800,000  years! 

"If  the  eye  of  any  superior  intelligence  can  behold 
this  amazing  scene,  how  stupendous  must  be  the  spec- 


150  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

tacle  presented!  In  the  center  the  sun,  blazing  with 
splendor,  pursues  its  majestic  career;  around  it  roll  the 
planets,  and  about  it  cluster  ten  thousand  fiery  comets. 
Worlds  bright  and  beautiful  hover  near  the  sun; 
worlds  fiery  and  chaotic  seek  this  great  center  with 
impetuous  velocity,  and  then  dash  away  into  the  farth- 
est range  of  their  grand  revolution.  But  the  monarch 
moves   on,   and  his   magnificent   cortege,   performing 


Motion  of  Arcturus 

I.  Arcturus  in  the  days  of  Abraham.  2.  Arcturus 
as  it  appears  now.  Although  it  is  moving  over 
two  hundred  miles  a  second,  star  distances  are  so 
vast,  and  this  star  is  so  far  from  us,  it  seems 
hardly  to  have  moved  at  all  during  these  thou- 
sands of  years. 


THE  FIXED  STARS  .   151 

his  high  behests,  follow  whithersoever  he  leads  through 
space !" 

"Look  out  to-night  on  the  brilliant  constellations 
which  crowd  the  heavens.  Mark  the  configurations 
of  these  stars.  Five  thousand  years  ago  the  Chaldean 
shepherd  gazed  on  the  same  bright  groups.  Two  thou- 
sand years  have  rolled  away  since  the  Greek  philoso- 
pher pronounced  the  eternity  of  the  heavens,  and 
pointed  to  the  ever-during  configuration  of  the  stars 
as  proof  positive  of  his  assertion.  But  a  time  will 
come  when  not  a  constellation  now  blazing  in  the 
bright  conclave  above  us  shall  remain.  Slowly,  in- 
deed, do  these  figures  on  the  dial  of  heaven  mark  the 
progress  of  time.  A  thousand  years  may  roll  away 
with  scarce  a  perceptible  change ;  even  a  million  years 
may  pass  without  effacing  all  traces  of  the  groupings 
which  now  exist;  but  that  eye  which  shall  behold  the 
universe  of  the  fixed  stars  when  ten  millions  of  years 
shall  have  silently  rolled  away,  will  search  in  vain  for 
the  constellations  which  now  beautify  and  adorn  our 
nocturnal  heavens.  Should  God  permit,  the  stars  may 
be  there,  but  no  trace  of  their  former  relative  positions 
will  be  found." 

"Go  backward  in  imagination  to  the  plains  of  Shinar, 
and  stand  beside  the  shepherd  astronomer  as  he  vainly 
attempts  to  grasp  the  mysteries  of  the  waxing  and 
waning  moon,  and  then  enter  the  sacred  precincts  of 
yonder  temple  devoted  to  the  science  of  the  stars. 
Look  over  its  magnificent  machinery;  examine  its 
space-annihilating  instruments,  and  ask  the  sentinel 
who  now  keeps  his  unbroken  vigil,  the  nature  of  his 


152  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

investigations.  Moon,  and  planet,  and  sun,  and  sys- 
tem, are  left  behind.  His  researches  are  now  within 
a  sphere  to  whose  confines  the  eagle  glance  of  the 
Chaldean  never  reached.  Periods,  and  distances,  and 
masses,  and  motions,  are  all  familiar  to  him.  But 
where  does  the  human  mind  now  stand  ?  Great  as  are 
its  achievements,  profoundly  as  it  has  penetrated  the 
mysteries  of  creation,  what  has  been  done  is  but  an 
infinitesimal  portion  of  what  remains  to  be  done." — 
"Planetary  and  Stellar  Worlds,"  Mitchel. 

Over  twenty-five  hundred  years  before  Herschel  dis- 
covered the  motion  of  the  sun,  God  placed  on  record 
the  astounding  fact:  "In  them  [the  heavens]  hath  He 
set  a  dwelling  place  for  the  sun,  which  is  as  a  bride- 
groom coming  out  of  his  chamber,  and  rejoiceth  as  a 
strong  man  to  run  a  course.  His  going  forth  is  from 
the  extremity  of  the  heavens,  and  his  coming  about 
unto  the  termination  of  it."  Ps.  19:4-6,  literal  trans- 
lation. 

This  passage  has  given  edge  to  many  a  sneer,  be- 
cause it  was  supposed  to  teach  that  the  sun  moves 
around  the  earth.  But  the  Bible  asserts  that  the  earth 
moves  around  the  sun.  This  scripture  teaches  the 
higher  truth  that  the  sun  itself  obeys  the  law  enforced 
upon  the  planets,  and  flies  in  an  orbit  of  its  own,  from 
one  end  of  heaven  in  Argo  to  the  other  in  Hercules. 
Only  one  hundred  years  ago  did  astronomers  discover 
this  great  fact.  The  sun  had  no  motion,  and  the  Bible 
was  an  ignorant  old  book.  But  after  herculean  labors, 
astronomers  find  that  the  old  Book  was  right,  and  that 
their  science  was  behind.    The  sun  does  move. 


THE  FIXED  STARS  153 

And  some  men  saw  occasion  for  stumbling  in  the 
use  of  the  word  "tabernacle."  "In  them  hath  He  set 
a  tabernacle  for  the  sun."  They  thought  of  a  taber- 
nacle as  a  tent,  and  that  the  idea  of  the  verse  was  to 
suggest  a  closed  place  in  which  the  sun  resided  as  in 
a  tent.  This  tent,  of  course,  was  the  dome  of  the  sky. 
They  said  there  is  no  crystal  dome  above  us,  as  thought 
the  ancients.  In  this  passage  we  have  evidence,  said 
they,  that  the  ignorance  of  men  wrote  what  now  we 
know  is  not  the  truth.  But  it  is  loose  reasoning  indeed 
that  can  gather  this  from  the  text. 

The  word  translated  "tabernacle"  came  from  a  root 
word  meaning  to  shine.  Tents  white  and  shining  in 
the  sunlight  were  thought  of  in  connection  with  this 
word ;  and  a  new  word,  "tabernacle,"  was  thus  derived 
from  the  root  word  "shine."  Therefore  the  root  idea 
of  the  word  "tabernacle"  is  not  essentially  a  tent,  or 
covering,  but  rather  a  thing  that  is  conspicuous  from 
a  distance.  As  a  tent  was  conspicuous,  it  was  desig- 
nated by  a  word  derived  from  the  word  "shine."  But 
there  were  other  words  in  Hebrew  which  meant  a 
tent,  or  tabernacle;  and  if  this  was  the  essential  idea 
in  the  mind  of  inspiration,  it  is  strange  that  such  a 
word  was  not  employed.  But  the  word  that  is  here 
used  has  a  pecuHar  fitness.  Our  science  only  helps  us 
to  get  the  full  significance  of  the  term  which  inspira- 
tion saw  fit  to  employ.  Follow  this  carefully:  At 
one  time,  there  was  not  this  word  "tabernacle"  in  the 
Hebrew,  but  there  was  a  word  meaning  to  shine.  In 
Bible  lands,  the  dwelling  places  were  to  a  large  extent 
tabernacles,  or  tents.    As  men  saw  their  tents  from  a 


154  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

distance  shining  in  the  sunlight,  they  began  to  call 
them  ''shines."  A  new  word  was  thus  added  to  the 
language.  But  in  time,  men  forgot,  perhaps,  the  old 
idea  in  the  verse,  and  thought  of  the  word  as  mean- 
ing merely  a  dwelling  place.  Yet  the  idea  of  a  cover- 
ing, or  covered  place,  was  not  an  essential  part  of  the 
word. 

Now,  do  you  see  the  appropriateness  of  this  word? 
In  the  heavens  "hath  He  set  a  tabernacle."  The  heav- 
ens are  not  in  the  tabernacle,  but  the  tabernacle  is  set 
in  the  heavens.  But  in  the  heavens  has  He  set  a  dwell- 
ing place;  a  shining  dwelling  place;  a  dwelling  place 
conspicuous  from  a  distance,  as  the  white  tents  on  the 
plain;  a  dwelling  place  for  the  sun.  In  other  words, 
the  Creator  has  ordained  that  the  sun  shall  dwell  in  the 
heavens,  and  the  shining  of  its  fiery  ball  makes  its 
dwelling  place  conspicuous  from  a  distance.  If  the 
tabernacle  was  first  so  called  from  the  fact  that  it  was 
conspicuous  from  a  distance,  shining  in  the  light  of  the 
sun,  shall  not  the  abiding  place  of  the  sun  itself  be  so 
called?  It  shines;  it  is  conspicuous;  ten  thousand 
worlds  look  forth  to  see  its  shining  place  in  the  heav- 
ens.   "In  them  hath  He  set  a  tabernacle  for  the  sun." 

But  the  sun  is  only  one  of  the  stars.  If  the  sun  is 
in  motion,  are  not  the  stars  also  in  motion  ?  They  are 
in  motion.  It  has  been  but  a  few  years  since  astrono- 
mers knew  this  definitely,  but  it  has  stood  on  record 
in  the  Bible  for  hundreds  of  years. 

"Lift  up  your  eyes  on  high,  and  see  who  hath 
created  these,  that  bringeth  out  their  host  by  number." 
Isa.  40 :  26,  A.  R.  V.    What  is  this  but  an  assertion  that 


THE  FIXED  STARS  155 

all  the  hosts  of  the  heaven  are  in  motion  ?  And  it  says 
more  than  simply  that  they  are  in  motion ;  "that  bring- 
eth  out  their  host  hy  number."  They  all  move;  but 
more,  they  move  by  number;  it  is  a  mathematical  af- 
fair. And  how  fully  has  astronomy  demonstrated 
the  truth  of  this !  Men  used  all  the  mathematical 
knowledge  in  their  possession  in  attempting  to  follow 
and  trace  the  paths  of  the  heavenly  bodies;  and  in 
more  than  one  instance,  they  were  compelled  to  invent 
new  branches  of  mathematics,  to  conceive  new  meth- 
ods of  calculation.  Thus  were  born  analytical  geome- 
try and  calculus. 

In  order  for  us  to  understand  this  one  expression, 
"bringeth  out  their  host  by  number,"  we  must  know 
something  of  the  mighty  work  of  Kepler,  and  of  the 
three  laws  of  motion  which  he  discovered ;  of  Newton, 
and  of  the  laws  of  gravitation  which  he  taught  the 
world.  In  fact,  we  have  before  us,  in  these  words  in 
the  Scriptures,  all  of  mathematical  astronomy. 

But  men  had  no  more  than  discovered  the  move- 
ments of  the  heavenly  bodies,  than  seeming  irregulari- 
ties and  perturbations  began  to  create  doubts  as  to  the 
stability  of  the  universe.  For  a  number  of  years,  men 
thought  that  the  universe  had  been  so  badly  con- 
structed, and  was  such  a  rickety  concern,  that  it  could 
not  hold  together  long  enough  to  get  fairly  started. 

Again  they  showed  how  little  faith  they  had  in  that 
Word  which  declares,  "For  that  He  is  strong  in  power ; 
not  one  faileth,"  or  as  the  German  has  it,  "His  ability 
and  strong  power  are  so  great  that  not  one  of  them  can 
be  wanting."    Isa.  40 :  26.    There  were  seeming  irregu- 


156  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

larities  in  the  movements  of  the  heavenly  bodies. 
There  were  perturbations  and  oscillations,  accelera- 
tions and  retardations.  A  top  oscillates  to  indicate 
that  it  is  about  to  fall.  The  earth  was  found  to  os- 
cillate. The  sun  was  found  to  do  the  same.  Were 
they  stumbling  in  their  orbits?  Were  they  about  to 
fall  and  go  to  ruin?  The  Word  said  that  not  one  of 
them  can  fall;  but  infidels  and  scoffers  began  to  pre- 
dict a  final  clash  as  the  wind-up  of  things  terrestrial 
and  celestial,  nor  were  they  slow  in  insisting  that  the 
Bible  was  evidently  but  the  work  of  man,  since  it 
teaches  something  so  different.  And  the  churchmen 
seized  upon  the  idea  to  show  the  final  wreck  at  the 
end  of  the  world. 

But  it  was  left  to  an  infidel  to  prove  the  truth  of  the 
Word  through  Isaiah.  Laplace  was  a  man  gifted  with 
extraordinary  mathematical  ability.  He  showed,  by 
mathematical  calculations  and  demonstrations,  that 
every  acceleration  is  compensated,  after  thousands  or 
millions  of  years,  by  a  corresponding  retardation,  and 
vice  versa.  He  announced,  as  the  result  of  his  re- 
searches, that,  so  far  as  he  could  see,  and  so  far  as 
indications  were  concerned,  the  universe  might  exist 
forever. 

We  have  already  spoken  of  the  endurance  of  the 
heavenly  bodies,  according  to  the  declaration  of  the 
Word.  Inspiration  declares  that  because  God's  "abil- 
ity and  strong  power  are  so  great,"  not  one  shall  fail. 
We  believe  it.  And  we  are  glad  that  science  has  ad- 
vanced far  enough  to  confirm  this  truth.  But  if  it  had 
not,  what  would  your  position  and  mine  be  to-day? 


THE  FIXED  STARS  157 

Would  we,  if  we  were  living  back  before  the  days  of 
Laplace,  hold  to  the  statement  of  that  Word,  or  would 
we  follow  the  crowd  of  worldly-wise  men  ?  There  is  a 
certain  answer  to  the  question :  If  you  are  now  making 
that  Book  your  science,  if  now  you  believe  it  in  prefer- 
ence to  all  science  and  all  the  wisdom  of  the  world, 
we  may  be  reasonably  certain  that  you  would  have 
believed  the  words  of  Isaiah  then. 

But  the  idea  that  the  universe  of  God  is  yet  to  meet 
with  ruin  or  partial  wreck,  is  still  taught.  Men  teach 
that  some  day  the  sun  will  grow  cold  and  die,  and  the 
planets  will  whirl  on  in  lifeless  gloom.  But  the  Word 
says  that  "His  ability  and  strong  power  are  so  great" 
that  not  one  of  them  can  be  wanting.  And  against 
the  picture  which  scientists  present  —  a  picture  of 
darkness  and  death  —  the  Word  places  its  prophecy  of 
a  brighter  sun  and  a  better  world. 

Manifestly  there  is  to  be  a  ruin,  but  it  is  the  ruin  of 
sin.  There  is  to  be  an  end  to  this  world,  not  as  a 
planet  rolling  in  space,  but  as  the  resting  and  brood- 
ing place  of  sin.  And  then,  beautified  and  made  new, 
it  will  roll  on,  wrapped  in  brighter  glory  than  in  these 
days  of  misery  and  evil.  Let  nothing  touch  your  faith 
in  that  Word.  If  it  goes  from  your  heart,  you  lose 
the  truest  guide  man  ever  had. 

But  the  sun  is  whirling  on  through  space.  Astrono- 
mers have  known  this  a  trifle  over  one  hundred  years ; 
but  the  Word  has  affirmed  the  same  truth  for  almost 
three  thousand  years. 

The  stars  are  not  fixed,  as  was  long  supposed,  but 
are  traveling  each  his  destined  way,  some  with  a  ve- 


158  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

locity  of  two  hundred  miles  a  second.  Astronomers 
have  not  long  known  the  stupendous  fact;  but  ages 
ago  the  Word  declared  them  to  be  brought  out  by 
number.  Thus  in  one  passage  in  the  Word,  we  are 
told  more  astronomical  facts  than  we  can  demonstrate 
by  the  combined  labors  of  the  mightiest  intellects  dur- 
ing many  generations. 

I  have  no  desire  to  belittle  science.  It  is  indispen- 
sable. It  has  a  noble  work.  It  "opens  to  the  mind 
vast  fields  of  thought  and  information."  Science  has 
its  own  peculiar  province.  It  has  a  work  to  perform 
after  its  own  peculiar  methods  to  its  own  special  ends. 
The  Word  of  God  was  never  meant  to  supplant  it,  nor 
to  interfere  with  it.  But  it  was  meant  to  be  an  aid; 
and  by  suggestions  and  plain  declarations,  it  is  an  all- 
efficient  aid.  Without  it,  we  are  left,  wholly  to  our 
own  speculations  and  our  own  blind  guesses ;  by  it,  we 
are  led  to  take  the  right  way  and  to  move  ever  on  in 
the  investigation  of  truth. 

God  is  as  much  the  Author  of  science  as  He  is  the 
Author  of  the  Bible.  True,  men  hate  His  way,  and 
long  to  disprove  His  statements ;  but  their  investiga- 
tions always  show  that  God  is  true.  Let  us  not  add  to 
His  words,  lest  He  reprove  us,  and  we  be  found  liars. 
(Prov.  30:6.)  He  has  certainly  reproved  men  in  this 
matter  of  the  motion  of  the  stars.  It  is  always  un- 
safe to  dispute  His  Word.  Let  us  rather  believe  it, 
for  it  will  vitalize  our  science,  and  save  our  souls. 


CHAPTER  XV 

The  Bands  of  Orion 

'^  y^^ANST  thou  bind  the  sweet  influences  of  Ple- 
B  iades,  or  loose  the  bands  of  Orion?"     Job 

^^^  38:31.  Some  have  sought  to  explain  this 
expression  from  the  Bible  by  the  fact  that  the  Pleiades 
are  seen  in  the  evening  in  the  spring,  and  that  this  has 
some  reference  to  the  old  idea  that  the  Pleiades  ush- 
ered in  the  sweet  influences  of  the  spring.  To  the 
student  of  the  Bible,  who  understands  how  free  from 
all  such  inferences  the  Bible  is,  such  explanation  is  far 
from  satisfactory.  This  very  freedom  from  the  child- 
ish notions  of  heathenism,  is  the  best  evidence  that  the 
Bible  was  inspired  by  a  knowledge  greater  than  that 
of  the  men  of  its  times. 

In  this  scripture,  the  difficulties  resolve  themselves 
into  the  one  principle :  If  we  know  positively  the  mean- 
ing of  the  original  word  from  which  "sweet  influences" 
is  translated,  it  is  possible  to  understand  clearly  the 
whole  scripture.  Looking  up  this  word  carefully  in 
the  Hebrew,  we  find  it  to  be  maadannoth,  which  means, 
"a  bond;  that  is,  a  group." 

159 


160  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

From  this,  it  is  evident  that  the  translators  were  not 
willing  to  take  the  first  and  most  obvious  meaning  of 
the  word.  The  scripture  was  too  far  ahead  of  the 
science  of  astronomy  for  the  translators  to  grasp  the 
high  meaning  of  the  original,  and  so  it  was  translated 
in  accordance  with  the  prevailing  notions  of  the  times. 
But  under  the  light  of  advancing  science,  man's 
knowledge  of  the  stars  has  increased.  The  American 
Revised  Version  gives  the  language  very  clearly.  It 
reads  as  follows :  "Canst  thou  bind  the  cluster  of  the 
Pleiades,  or  loose  the  bands  of  Orion?"  A  marginal 
translation  is  suggested  that  would  make  it  read, 
"Canst  thou  bind  the  chain  of  the  Pleiades?" 

Reading  the  scripture  as  thus  given  in  the  American 
Revised  Version,  one  sees  that  it  assumes  the  knowl- 
edge that  the  Pleiades  and  Orion  are  each  a  group,  a 
family  of  stars,  bound  together.  The  Pleiades  is  a 
cluster.  It  is  bound  together  as  with  an  invisible  band. 
Likewise  the  power  that  holds  the  great  constellation 
of  Orion  into  a  great  family  of  united  stars  is  spoken 
of  as  its  "bands." 

At  once  the  mind  of  the  student  of  the  Word  rests 
in  the  assurance  that  science  will  find  something  here 
to  verify  this  scripture.  He  is  so  certain  of  the  in- 
fallibility of  the  Bible,  that  he  does  not  question  for 
a  moment  the  truth  of  this  language,  but  looks  with 
confidence  to  science  for  its  verification.  If  science  has 
not  advanced  far  enough  to  do  this  work,  he  waits 
for  the  facts  to  be  developed  that  will  elucidate  and 
confirm  the  Word,  though  they  may  not  come  in  his 
time. 


Brooks's  Comet,  as  Seen  Just  Before  Dawn 

This  is  but  one  of  the  impressive  sights  frequently  spread  in 

the  heavens  to  delight  the  eyes  of  earth's  dwellers. 


The  Constellation  Pleiades,  Showing  Nebulosity 
The  nebula  in  the  Pleiades  was  first  revealed  by  photographs. 
It  enmeshes  the  great  stars  of  this  cluster,  and  indicates  that 
these  belong  together  in  one  family.  Modern  astronomy's 
testimony  is  that,  as  the  Bible  says,  there  is  a  "sweet  influence" 
which  "binds"  them  into  one  group. 


THE  BANDS  OF  ORION  161 

Now  it  has  been  scarcely  a  generation  since  men 
learned  that  the  Pleiades  and  Orion  were  each  a  group 
of  stars  traveling  through  the  depths  of  space,  held, 
as  it  were,  by  some  mighty  chain.  We  will  give  some 
of  the  statements  of  prominent  astronomers  which  will 
verify  this  text  from  the  Word  of  God.  We  first  give 
a  quotation  from  "Other  Worlds  than  Ours,"  pub- 
lished by  Richard  A.  Proctor,  astronomer  and  author, 
as  early  as  1870.    He  says: 

"Among  other  instances  may  be  cited  the  nebula 
round  the  stars  ci  and  C2  in  Orion.  In  this  object  two 
remarkable  nebulous  nodules  centrally  surround  two 
double  stars.  Admitting  the  association  here  to  be 
real  (and  no  other  explanation  can  be  reasonably  ad- 
mitted), we  are  led  to  interesting  conclusions  respect- 
ing the  whole  of  that  wonderful  nebulous  region  which 
surrounds  the  sword  of  Orion.  We  become  certain 
that  the  other  nebulae  in  that  region  are  really  asso- 
ciated with  the  fixed  stars  there ;  that  it  is  not  a  mere 
coincidence,  for  instance,  that  the  middle  star  in  the 
belt  of  Orion  is  involved  in  nebula,  or  that  the  lowest 
star  of  the  sword  is  similarly  circumstanced.  It  is  a 
legitimate  inference,  from  the  evidence,  that  all  the 
nebulae  in  this  region  belong  to  one  great  nebulous 
group,  which  extends  its  branches  to  these  stars.  As 
a  mighty  band  this  nebulous  region  seems  to  gather 
the  stars  here  into  close  association,  showing  us,  in  a 
way  there  is  no  misinterpreting,  that  these  stars  and 
the  nebula  form  one  system." 

The  astronomer,  judging  only  by  appearances  re- 
vealed to  the  eye,  concluded  that  these  stars  made  up 


11 


162  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

a  community;  but  since  that  time,  much  more  refined 
observations  have  been  possible.  By  means  of  the 
spectroscope,  astronomers  are  able  to  learn  the  very 
material  of  which  the  stars  are  composed;  and  here 
is  what  a  fairly  recent  astronomer  has  to  say  concern- 
ing the  revelations  of  the  spectroscope  with  reference 
to  Orion : 

"The  stars  in  Orion  (with  the  notable  exception  of 
Betelgeuse)  have  a  special  variety  of  spectrum  scarcely 
found  outside  of  that  constellation.  This  indicates 
that  these  stars  have  a  similar  structure ;  probably  they 
are  'chips  off  the  same  block.'  " —  Howe's  ''Descriptive 
Astronomy,''  page  ^J/. 

This  statement  of  the  astronomer,  we  see  at  once, 
is  more  definite  and  convincing  than  the  former  one, 
and  shows  that  as  science  has  advanced,  astronomy  has 
been  able  more  and  more  clearly  to  confirm  the  fact 
revealed  in  the  Bible  more  than  three  thousand  years 
ago.  It  is  a  long  time  to  wait  for  confirmation,  but  it 
is  one  of  the  strongest  conceivable  evidences  of  the 
reliabiHty  of  the  Word  of  God.  Many  texts  in  the 
Bible  were  given  to  be  understood  in  the  closing  age  — 
"they  are  written  for  our  admonition,  upon  whom  the 
ends  of  the  world  are  come."    i  Cor.  lo:  ii. 

Another  writer  presents  even  more  clearly  and  con- 
clusively this  wonderful  truth  of  the  bonds  of  affinity 
which  exist  between  the  stars  in  the  constellation  of 
Orion : 

"We  sometimes  think  that  those  groups  of  stars 
to  which  from  all  antiquity  certain  names  have  been 
assigned  have  bonds  of  affinity,  and  that  their  proxim- 


THE  BANDS  OF  ORION  163 

ity  on  the  heavens  is  not  to  be  attributed  to  a  mere 
casual  arrangement,  but  is  to  be  taken  as  indicating  a 
community  of  origin.  In  some  cases  there  can  be  no 
doubt  that  this  is  so.  In  the  great  group  of  Orion,  for 
instance,  to  which  I  have  already  referred,  modern 
researches  demonstrate  that  the  several  stars  of  that 
grand  constellation  possess  a  structure  which  may  be 
described  as  peculiar  to  themselves,  inasmuch  as  a 
similar  structure  has  only  been  observed  in  one  other 
star  in  the  sky  except  those  of  Orion.  In  this  case 
we  have  the  evidence  not  only  of  juxtaposition  in  the 
heavens,  but  also  of  an  allied  material  composition. 
Under  these  circumstances  it  seems  almost  impossible 
to  doubt  that  the  glorious  assemblage  of  stars  forming 
the  constellation  of  Orion  does  really  represent  por- 
tions of  a  mighty  system.  If  any  further  corrobora- 
tions of  this  view  be  required,  it  may  be  obtained  from 
recent  discoveries  with  respect  to  the  peerless  nebula 
by  which  Orion  is  most  familiar  to  astronomers.  The 
beautiful  photographs  which  have  been  obtained  by 
Mr.  Roberts  and  by  Mr.  Common  have  tended  to  dis- 
close ever  widening  boundaries  to  the  great  nebula 
when  sufficiently  long  exposure  has  been  given.  We 
thus  see  that  the  glowing  gas  encroaches  on  the  sur- 
rounding space  to  an  extent  much  wider  than  mere  eye 
observation  would  have  indicated.  Several  of  the 
bright  stars  are  already  seen  to  be  invested  with  what- 
ever glory  residence  in  the  interior  of  a  glowing  nebula 
may  confer.  Adding  this  circumstance  to  those  we 
have  already  mentioned  of  juxtaposition  and  of  ma- 
terial  congruity,   it  seems   impossible  to   doubt  that 


164 


ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 


Orion,  the  finest  constellation  in  the  heavens,  is  not 
a  mere  fortuitous  concourse  of  stars,  but  is  a  system 
possessing  indications  of  a  common  origin." — ''In 
Starry  Realms/'  by  Sir  Robert  S,  Ball,  D.  Sc,  LL.D,, 
F.  R.  S.,  pages  265,  266. 

This  presents  clearly  all  that  is  needed  for  us  to 
understand  the  expression  ''the  bands  of  Orion."  A 
full  commentary  on  the  text  will  be  given  at  the  close 
of  this  argument. 

Now  just  a  few  words  regarding  the  cluster  of  the 
Pleiades.  Are  the  stars  in  the  Pleiades  also  yoked 
together  as  a  family?  Over  two  hundred  years  ago 
an  observer  argued  for  their  connection  in  one  com- 
munity, and  the  more  searching  investigations  of 
science  confirmed  the  fact. 


'''^, 

i 

/ 

1 
/ 

Diagram  of  the  Pleiades 

The  arrows  indicate  a  common  motion  for 

the  stars  of  the  Pleiades,  showing  them  to 

constitute  one  family,  or  cluster. 


THE  BANDS  OF  ORION  165 

"The  grouping  of  even  six  stars  visible  to  the  naked 
eye  in  so  small  a  space  is  very  remarkable.  Consider- 
ing the  number  of  stars  visible  in  the  whole  sky  with- 
out optical  aid,  Mitchell,  writing  in  1867,  calculated 
by  the  mathematical  theory  of  probabilities  that  the 
chances  are  500,000  to  i  against  the  close  arrangement 
of  the  six  stars  in  the  Pleiades  being  merely  the  result 
of  accident.  He  therefore  concluded  that  'this  distri- 
bution was  the  result  of  design,  or  that  there  is  reason 
or  cause  for  such  an  assemblage.'  Modern  observa- 
tions show  that  his  conclusion  was  sound.  The  com- 
mon 'proper  motion'  of  a  large  number  of  the  stars 
composing  the  Pleiades  shows  that  they  are  in  some 
way  physically  connected." — ''Studies  in  Astronomy/' 
by  J.  Ellard  Gore,  pages  6g,  70. 

"Most  of  the  brightest  stars  of  the  Pleiades  are  also 
moving  in  one  and  the  same  direction,  and  this  com- 
munity of  proper  motion  has  received  the  name  'star 
drift.' " — "A  Nezv  Astronomy"  by  David  Todd,  page 
430. 

Clearly  as  this  statement  presents  the  fact,  the  ar- 
gument offered  in  the  following  quotation  is  perhaps 
more  convincing: 

"In  a  similar  way  we  are  entitled  to  infer  that  many 
other  remarkable  groups  of  stars  give  evidence  of  a 
certain  physical  connection  which  corroborates  the  pre- 
sumption obtained  from  the  fact  that  the  stars  happen 
to  be  close  neighbors.  I  do  not  suppose  that  any  one 
ever  could  have  doubted  that  so  striking  a  group  as 
the  Pleiades  had  some  natural  connection.  But  if  there 
were  such  doubts  they  must  be  dispelled  when  the 


166  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

photographs  of  the  Messrs.  Henry  and  of  Mr.  Roberts 
show  the  seven  stars  of  the  Pleiades  to  be  immersed  in 
a  single  nebula,  invisible  to  the  eye,  and  perceptible 
only  to  the  delicacy  of  the  photographic  plate.  In 
other  famous  groups  also  there  are  indications  of  re- 
lationship drawn  from  their  common  movements.  If 
seven  fish  were  seen  together  in  the  sea  there  would 
be  a  certain  presumption  that  they  formed  a  re- 
lated group,  and  this  presumption  would  be  greatly 
strengthened  if  it  should  appear  that  all  the  fish  were 
swimming  in  parallel  directions.  We  can  sometimes 
apply  a  similar  principle  to  the  study  of  a  constella- 
tion. If  seven  bright  stars  lie  comparatively  near  each 
other  in  the  sky,  and  if  it  be  found  that  they  partici- 
pate in  a  common  motion  so  far  as  direction  is  con- 
cerned, we  may  not  unnaturally  conclude  that  these 
stars  belong  to  an  organized  system,  and  that  they  are 
not  merely  a  number  of  discrete  objects  scattered  pro- 
miscuously on  the  sky." — "In  Starry  Realms,"  by  Sir 
Robert  S.  Ball,  D.Sc,  LL.D.,  F.R.S.,  page  266. 

Regarding  this  common  motion.  Young's  "As- 
tronomy" (page  459)  says :  "The  brightest  stars  in 
Pleiades  are  found  in  the  same  way  to  have  a  common 
motion.  In  fact,  it  appears  to  be  the  rule  rather  than 
the  exception  that  stars  apparently  near  each  other  are 
really  connected  as  comrades,  traveling  together  in 
groups  of  twos  and  threes,  dozens,  or  hundreds.  They 
show,  as  Miss  Gierke  graphically  expresses  it,  a  dis- 
tinctly ^gregarious  tendency.' " 

From  the  same  book,  page  501,  we  take  this  ex- 
pression : 


THE  BANDS  OF  ORION  167 

"Of  the  naked-eye  clusters  the  Pleiades  is  the  most 
interesting  and  important.  To  an  ordinary  eye  six 
stars  are  easily  visible  in  it.  Eyes  a  little  better  see 
easily  five  more.  A  very  small  telescope  (a  mere 
opera  glass)  increases  the  number  to  nearly  a  hundred; 
and  with  large  instruments  more  than  four  hundred 
are  catalogued  in  the  group.  A  few  of  the  stars  ap- 
parently in  the  cluster  are  really  only  accidentally  on 
the  same  line  of  vision,  and  are  distinguished  by  proper 
motions  different  from  those  of  the  rest  of  the  group ; 
but  the  great  majority  have  proper  motions  nearly  the 
same  in  amount  and  direction;  they  have  also  iden- 
tical spectra,  and  therefore  undoubtedly  constitute  a 
single  system." 

Having  thus  seen  how  wonderfully  modern  facts 
agree  with  this  scripture,  ages  old,  we  have  a  strong 
evidence  that  the  scripture  was  really  inspired  by  a 
knowledge  greater  than  that  common  to  humanity  at 
the  time  it  was  written. 

By  this  scripture,  the  mind  of  man  is  challenged. 
Attention  is  called  to  two  great  families  of  stars  mov- 
ing majestically  in  the  heavens.  The  constellation  of 
the  Pleiades  is  pointed  out,  and  the  wonderful  fact 
that  the  stars  making  up  this  constellation  —  immense, 
brilliant  suns,  every  one  of  them  —  are  bound  by  the 
great  band  instituted  by  the  Creator.  We  have  at  once 
before  us  a  most  extraordinary  work.  All  these  suns, 
some  of  them  greater  than  our  own,  have  been  put 
under  an  influence  —  a  sweet  influence,  if  you  will  — 
that  extends  from  o  2  to  the  other,  and  holds  them 
each  in  sympathy  with  the  other.     Moving  through 


168  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

space  more  swiftly  than  a  fast-flying  cannon  ball,  they 
yet  each  feel  the  presence  of  their  fellows;  they  obey 
this  instinct  to  keep  together. 

Then  consider  the  tremendous  work  that  produced 
this  wonder  —  the  constant  power  that  forever  im- 
presses these  stars  so  that  they  fail  not  to  obey.  As 
we  contemplate  this  marvelous  spectacle,  God  asks. 
Could  you  do  such  a  thing?  "Canst  thou  bind  into  a 
cluster,  by  a  sweet  influence,  a  chain,  the  Pleiades?" 
Each  one  of  us  knows  himself  to  be  absolutely  inade- 
quate for  such  a  gigantic  task.  Only  God  could  do 
it.  Only  God  has  done  it.  And  He  who  thus  upholds 
this  starry  cluster,  this  vast  portion  of  the  universe, 
will  do  as  much  for  the  great  family  of  human  beings 
that  are  also  moving,  moving  down  the  corridors  of 
time,  and  who  should  also  be  bound  together  by  sweet 
influences,  by  a  chain  that  would  make  them  helpful 
to  one  another.  In  the  church  of  Christ,  we  find  as 
great  an  association,  or  even  a  greater,  where  the  bond 
is  so  close  that  if  one  member  suffers,  the  others  suffer 
with  him.  The  God  that  made  the  seven  stars  and 
Orion,  cares  for  us. 

"Canst  thou  .  .  .  loose  the  bands  of  Orion" — 
mighty  stars  whirling  through  space?  The  distances 
between  them  are  so  great  as  to  appall  the  mind;  still 
across  that  distance  there  is  a  great  band  of  God's 
own  creation,  invisible,  yet  indissoluble.  Can  you 
loose  it  ?  Can  you  break  asunder  the  power  that  holds 
these  vast  suns  together?  Can  you  dispel  these  stars 
that  through  the  ages  are  moving  untiringly,  held  to- 
gether by  one  common,  unexplained  sympathy? 


THE  BANDS  OF  ORION  169 

No,  man  never  could  group  such  a  community  of 
stars  as  the  Pleiades;  neither  could  he  tear  asunder 
such  a  cluster  as  Orion.  His  puny  arm  could  do 
naught  against  even  one  of  these  rolling  suns.  No, 
if  all  the  strength  of  every  arm  of  every  person  that 
has  ever  lived  upon  this  earth  were  assembled  in  the 
might  of  one  great  arm,  it  could  not  even  start  this 
little  world  of  ours  in  its  orbit  path.  Much  less  could 
it  attempt  anything  with  the  sun,  which  is  capable  of 
engulfing  thousands  of  earths  like  ours. 

We  trust  in  Him  who  has  done  such  wonderful 
things,  knowing  that  "there  is  nothing  too  hard"  for 
Him. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

Arcturus  with  His  Sons 

*iy^>|ANST  thou  guide  Arcturus  with  his  sons?" 
1  Job  38 :  32.     This  quotation    from   the   an- 

^^^  cient  book  of  Job  is  a  marvelous  one,  and 
the  facts  brought  out  by  modern  astronomy  reveal  its 
import  in  a  manner  both  striking  and  significant.  In 
this  thirty-eighth  chapter  of  the  book  of  Job,  God 
challenges  the  might  and  wisdom  of  men  as  contrasted 
with  His  own  perfect  power  and  unlimited  wisdom. 
He  points  to  examples  of  His  marvelous  working  in 
the  universe,  and  bids  us  think  how  little  is  all  that  we 
can  do  as  matched  against  the  infinite  accomplishments 
of  the  Creator. 

We  should  also  learn  another  lesson  from  these 
words  of  the  ancient  book.  They  were  written  at  a 
time  when  astronomical  knowledge  was  extremely 
meager.  Let  us  consider  some  of  the  knowledge  neces- 
sary to  use  this  language  and  conform  it  to  facts. 

One  who  wished  to  speak  thus  would  have  to  know 
first  of  all  that  the  stars  were  in  motion.  This  of 
itself,  at  that  time,  would  have  been  a  startling  gener- 

170 


ARCTURUS  WITH  HIS  SONS  111 

alization.  From  limited  records  we  have  of  those 
days,  we  see  that  there  was  no  such  idea  then  preva- 
lent. The  understanding  of  star  distances  and  star 
motions  was  entirely  outside  the  ken  of  the  ordinary 
mortal.  Therefore  a  person  who  would  ask  such  a 
question  as  the  one  we  have  quoted,  must  rise  above 
all  the  astronomical  knowledge  or  ignorance  of  his 
time,  and  declare  that  the  stars  were  moving,  and 
further,  were  under  guidance  of  the  Creator  of  their 
movement.  Again,  it  would  be  necessary  for  him  to 
know  that  some  of  the  stars  were  moving  much  more 
swiftly  than  others;  and  further,  he  would  have  to 
know  at  least  one  of  these  more  swiftly  moving  bodies, 
and  be  able  to  name  it.  This  the  Word  does  without 
hesitation.  It  selects  that  brilliant  star  Arcturus.  It 
is  the  fourth  or  fifth  brightest  star  in  the  heavens.  Yet 
the  speaker  selects  this  star,  calls  man's  attention  to  the 
fact  that  it  is  moving  with  extraordinary  power  in  its 
position  in  the  heavens,  guided  by  the  infinite  hand  of 
the  Creator;  and  the  question  is  asked,  Could  you  do 
a  thing  like  that? 

Furthermore,  there  was  then  no  means  by  which 
man  could  measure  either  star  distances  or  star  move- 
ments. Such  a  work  required  the  telescope,  fitted 
with  a  micrometer,  and  it  required  a  knowledge  of 
mathematics  not  in  vogue  at  that  time.  The  Chaldeans, 
who  possessed  the  bulk  of  astronomical  knowledge  in 
those  days,  could  not  survey  land  unless  they  actually 
passed  over  it  with  the  measuring  rod  or  line.  Our 
present  system  of  triangulation  they  did  not  have ;  and 
so  we  know  that  they  did  not  have  any  such  knowledge 


172  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

as  is  manifested  in  the  Word,  and  they  had  no  means 
of  obtaining  it,  and  what  they  did  write  about  the  stars 
and  the  heavens  was  childish  nonsense  as  compared 
with  this  dignified  reference  to  astronomical  fact. 

But  the  Spirit  of  God,  which  "searcheth  all  things," 
even  "the  deep  things  of  God"  (i  Cor.  2: 10),  knows 
all  the  facts  existing  in  this  vast  universe;  and  it  se- 
lected one  of  the  grand  facts  of  astronomy,  and  ex- 
pressed it  in  words  of  final  knowledge  that  will  never 
go  out  of  date,  no  matter  how  far  astronomical  science 
may  advance. 

Standing  not  long  ago  in  an  astronomical  observa- 
tory, talking  with  the  director  of  that  observatory, 
who  is  a  noted  man,  yet  a  devout  Christian,  I  said  to 
him,  "How  could  men  know  enough  to  make  this  al- 
lusion?" He  answered:  "They  did  not  know  enough. 
There  was  no  way  for  them  to  know  it."  Then,  to  get 
his  answer,  I  asked,  "Whence  came  this  question?" 
"Ah,"  said  he,  "that  came  by  the  inspiration  of  the 
Word  of  God.  It  is  an  infallible  evidence  of  the  ab- 
solute knowledge  and  truth  contained  in  that  book." 

Now  what  do  we  know,  in  these  latter  days,  regard- 
ing this  wonderful  star,  that  brilliant,  shining  orb, 
Arcturus?  Astronomers  have  found  that  all  the  stars 
apparently  are  swiftly  moving  —  moving  through  the 
great  depths  of  space  like  swarms  of  bees,  each  in  its 
own  course.  They  have  found  that  these  movements 
average  a  speed  as  great  as  that  of  the  swiftly  flying 
cannon  ball,  or  even  greater.  The  average  motion  of 
the  stars  is  ten  miles  a  second.  This  is  a  marvelous 
velocity.     That  of  our   fastest  express  trains,  going 


ARCTURUS  WITH  HIS  SONS  173 

a  mile  a  minute,  or  sixty  miles  an  hour,  is  as  nothing 
compared  with  it.  Ten  miles  a  second  is  six  hundred 
miles  a  minute.  Therefore  the  velocity  of  the  stars 
is  six  hundred  times  that  of  our  fastest  trains.  A  body 
traveling  at  this  rate  would  go  from  New  York  to 
Chicago  in  a  little  more  than  a  minute,  or  from  New 
York  to  San  Francisco  in  less  than  five  minutes. 

Such  a  velocity  the  mind  cannot  grasp.  It  is  im- 
possible to  picture,  for  the  eye  has  never  seen  anything 
from  which  the  mind  could  make  the  picture.  Such 
is  the  velocity  of  the  stars.  Such  is  the  speed  that 
our  own  sun  is  making  through  space  every  second  of 
time.  At  his  unflagging  velocity,  it  moves  ten  or 
twelve  miles  while  you  are  reading  one  sentence. 

But  what  do  you  think  of  a  star  that  transcends  in 
velocity  this  movement  that  we  have  indicated?  The 
sun  moves,  as  we  have  said,  ten  miles  a  second;  but 
Arcturus  flies  away  at  the  incomprehensible  velocity 
of  257  miles  a  second,  or  nearly  twenty-six  times  as 
fast  as  our  sun.  Let  us  compare  this  tremendous  ve- 
locity with  distances  on  the  earth,  and  the  motion  of 
a  fast  train.  Instead  of  going  a  mile  a  minute,  like 
our  express  trains,  Arcturus  travels  at  the  enormous 
speed  of  15,420  miles  a  minute.  This  would  carry 
a  body  around  the  world,  or  25,000  miles,  in  a  little 
over  a  minute  and  a  half.  The  mind  cannot  grasp 
the  awful  movement  depicted  in  these  figures. 

But  that  is  not  all  there  is  to  consider  in  this  con- 
nection. Momentum,  or  the  power  to  produce  move- 
ment, and  therefore  the  power  to  stop  it,  is  measured 
by  the  weight  multiplied  by  the  velocity.    We  have  the 


174  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

velocity  of  Arcturus,  257  miles  a  second.  What  about 
its  size? 

As  has  already  been  stated,  Arcturus  is  the  fourth 
or  fifth  brightest  star  in  the  heavens.  This  brightness 
is  not  due  to  its  nearness  to  us.  For  example,  Venus 
is  sometimes  bright  enough  to  be  seen  in  daylight. 
This  is  because  of  its  nearness.  The  light  travels  such 
a  short  distance,  comparatively,  that  it  appears  very 
bright  to  us,  whereas  it  is  not  nearly  so  bright  as  that 
of  the  faintest  of  the  stars.  They  shine  more  faintly 
because  they  are  at  such  extremely  great  distances 
from  us. 

Arcturus  shines  with  a  very  brilliant  light,  but  it  is 
very  far  from  us.  In  fact,  it  is  so  far  that  astronomers 
have  not  been  able  to  get  its  distance  with  anything 
like  accuracy.  They  know,  however,  in  a  general  way, 
somewhat  near  its  distance;  that  is,  they  know  that  it 
is  no  nearer  than  certain  measurements  which  they 
have  been  able  to  make.  How  much  farther  away  it 
is,  they  cannot  say. 

Basing  their  knowledge  on  this  kind  of  generaliza- 
tion, astronomers  have  concluded  that  Arcturus  is 
probably  a  thousand  times  larger  than  our  own  sun. 

But  our  sun  is  no  pygmy  when  compared  with  sizes 
familiar  to  us.  We  can  get  some  idea  of  his  bigness 
if  we  realize  the  following  facts:  The  moon  makes 
a  circle  about  the  earth  at  a  distance  from  the  earth 
of  about  240,000  miles.  If  it  were  possible  to  place 
the  earth  in  the  center  of  the  sun,  with  the  moon  at  the 
same  distance  from  the  earth  as  now,  both  the  earth 
and  the  moon  would  be  hidden  entirely  within  the  ball 


ARCTURUS  WITH  HIS  SONS  175 

of  the  sun.  But  great  as  the  sun  is,  we  must  multiply 
this  figure  by  one  thousand  to  get  a  ball  big  enough 
to  match  Arcturus. 

Since  momentum,  as  we  have  said,  is  measured  by 
velocity  multiplied  by  the  weight  of  the  moving  body, 
the  momentum  of  Arcturus  must  be  25,700  times  as 
great  as  the  momentum  of  the  sun,  for  it  is  one  thou- 
sand times  as  large,  and  moves  25.7  times  as  swiftly. 

Ah,  is  it  strange,  then,  that  inspiration  selected  this 
particular  star?  Is  it  strange,  then,  that  God  chal- 
lenges men  and  points  out  man's  littleness  as  compared 
with  the  power  of  the  Creator?  In  this  instance  of 
Arcturus,  what  a  lesson  there  is  for  us  —  the  lesson, 
first  of  all,  that  God's  Word  contains  infallible  knowl- 
edge, facts  above  the  science  of  the  times  in  which  it 
was  written,  facts  beyond  the  ken  of  unassisted  mor- 
tals. That  one  verse  in  Job  stands  like  a  beacon  on  a 
mountain  top,  and  points  men  to  the  fact  of  its  in- 
spiration. 

And  we  must  learn  the  lesson,  too,  of  the  unmeas- 
ured might  of  Him  who  can  guide,  yea,  who  can  give 
impulse  of  movement  to,  such  a  star,  and  with  that 
star,  all  that  belong  in  its  train. 

We  cannot  account  for  the  stupendous  movement  of 
this  apparently  runaway  star  by  the  laws  of  gravita- 
tion. Astronomers  have  studied  the  matter  carefully, 
and  have  given  it  up  as  a  hopeless  task.  The  attrac- 
tive power  of  every  star  and  world  and  satellite  in  the 
universe  neither  could  start  Arcturus  into  such  a  head- 
long pace,  nor  stay  it  one  iota  in  its  magnificent  sweep 
through  the  limitless  bounds  of  space. 


176  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

And  more,  man  cannot  guide  it,  cannot  understand 
its  guidance,  cannot  account  for  that  guidance  by  any 
mathematical  or  mechanical  means;  he  must  confess 
that  God  controls  and  moves  this  giant  on  its  way,  or 
that  there  is  no  explanation  of  the  extraordinary  phe- 
nomenon. 

And  if  men,  all  men,  yea,  every  human  being  that 
ever  lived  on  this  planet,  could  unite  in  one  gigantic 
effort,  could  concentrate  all  the  energy  of  all  the 
muscles  that  ever  worked  beneath  the  sun,  into  one 
grand  effort  to  stay  Arcturus  in  its  course,  that  effort 
would  be  as  futile  as  to  shoot  a  paper  wad  against  a 
fast  flying  express  train. 

We  must  respond  to  the  challenge  of  the  Almighty, 
to  this  question  of  inspiration:  No,  we  cannot  guide 
Arcturus  and  his  sons.  It  is  not  in  us,  in  any  of  us  or 
all  of  us,  to  guide  him  in  his  majestic  march  through 
the  heavens;  but  the  Lord  can  and  does  guide  him. 
"For  that  He  is  strong  in  power,  not  one  is  lacking." 
Isa.  40 :  26,  A.  R.  V. 

"The  hand  that  bears  creation  up, 
Can  guide  His  children  still." 


Nebula  in  Cygnus 

This  dainty  streamer  of  glowing  wisps  of  light  seems  to  defy 

the  astronomer's  effort  to  analyze. 


The  Surface  of  the  Moon 
The  large  picture  shows  how  the  earth  would  appear  to  an 
observer  on  the  moon's  surface.     The  smaller  views  illustrate 
some  of  the  "craters"  on  the  moon,  and  two  theories  regard- 
ing their  formation. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

The  Gospel  of  Despair 

THERE  is  one  idea  advanced  by  astronomers, 
which,  tried  by  the  Word  of  God,  is  utterly  er- 
roneous. I  feel  inclined  to  call  it  the  everlast- 
ing gospel  of  despair.  It  is  the  idea  that  the  sun  and 
all  the  stars  must  one  day  grow  cold  and  die.  True, 
according  to  the  speculations  of  these  scientists,  that 
day  is  very  distant ;  but  they  say  it  is  nevertheless  quite 
certain.  Some  day  in  the  remote  future,  the  sun  and 
the  stars  will  roll  on  in  space,  cold  as  icicles,  and  dead 
as  cinders. 

"If  nothing  intervenes  to  reverse  the  course  of 
things,  the  sun  must  at  last  solidify,  and  become  a 
dark,  rigid  globe,  frozen  and  lifeless  among  its  life- 
less family  of  planets.  At  least,  this  is  the  necessary 
consequence  of  what  now  seems  to  science  to  be  the 
true  account  of  its  present  activity  and  the  story  of 
its  life." 

"One  lesson  seems  to  stand  out  clearly, —  that  the 
present  system  of  stars  and  worlds  is  not  an  eternal 
one." —  Young's  "General  Astronomy"  page  524. 

177 


178  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

''Sooner  or  later  the  sun  must  become  a  dark  globe, 
no  longer  fiery  and  radiant,  no  longer  the  source  of 
heat  and  light  to  his  family  of  worlds.  The  dazzling 
photosphere  must  lose  its  glowing  brightness;  and  at 
length  our  sun  will  be  a  sun  no  longer."  "One  fact 
seems  clear,  past  the  possibility  of  mistake, —  that  not 
only  our  little  earth,  not  only  the  solar  system,  but  the 
whole  vast  stellar  system,  the  universe  of  stars,  so  far 
as  we  can  know  anything  about  it,  is  a  changing,  fleet- 
ing, dying  universe." — ''Radiant  Suns,"  pages  30/-^0Q. 

Scientists  offer  these  ideas  as  mere  theories  and 
speculation,  and  are  not  dogmatic  about  them.  They 
admit  that  there  may  be  means  by  which  the  sun  and 
the  stars  will  have  their  existence  continued;  there 
may  be  some  way  by  which  their  life  is  renewed;  but 
scientists  know  nothing  of  it.  Yet  they  constantly 
throw  out  cautions  concerning  this  profound  question 
of  which  they  know  so  little. 

"In  these  matters  occupying  the  dubious  borderland 
beyond  scientific  certainties,  we  have  to  be  cautious; 
we  must  be  willing  to  wait,  willing  not  to  be  sure.  At 
best,  our  outlook  is  very  partial  and  dim.  The  con- 
necting link  between  us  and  each  far-off,  glimmering 
point  consists  of  only  a  few  rays  of  light.  We  can 
watch  those  rays;  we  can  subdivide  them;  we  can 
analyze  them ;  we  can  decipher  a  little  of  the  make  and 
of  the  movements  of  the  star  or  nebula  from  which 
they  come, —  and  yet  how  small  is  the  sum  total  of  our 
information!" — Id.,  page  421. 

"May  we  not  receive  even  the  teachings  of  science 
as  to  the  'laws  of  nature'  with  the  constant  memory 


THE  GOSPEL  OF  DESPAIR  179 

that  all  we  know,  even  from  science  itself,  depends 
on  our  very  limited  sensations,  our  very  limited  ex- 
perience, and  our  still  more  limited  power  of  conceiv- 
ing anything  for  which  this  experience  has  not  pre- 
pared us  ? 

"I  have  read  somewhere  a  story  about  a  race  of 
ephemeral  insects  which  live  but  an  hour.  To  those 
that  are  born  in  the  early  morning,  the  sunrise  is  the 
time  of  youth.  They  die  of  old  age  while  its  beams 
are  yet  gathering  force,  and  only  their  descendants  live 
on  till  midday;  while  it  is  another  race  which  sees 
the  sun  decline,  from  that  which  saw  it  rise.  Imagine 
the  sun  about  to  set,  and  the  whole  nation  of  mites 
gathered  under  the  shadow  of  some  mushroom  (to 
them  ancient  as  the  sun  itself)  to  hear  what  their  wisest 
philosopher  has  to  say  of  the  gloomy  prospect.  If  I 
remember  right,  he  first  told  them  that,  incredible  as 
it  might  seem,  there  was  not  only  a  time  in  the  world's 
youth  when  the  mushroom  itself  was  young,  but  that 
the  sun  in  those  early  ages  was  in  the  eastern,  not  in 
the  western  sky.  Since  then,  he  explained,  the  scien- 
tific ephemera  has  followed  it,  and  established,  by  in- 
duction from  vast  experience,  the  great  'law  of  na- 
ture,' that  it  moved  only  westward;  and  he  showed 
that  since  it  was  now  nearing  the  western  horizon, 
science  herself  pointed  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was 
about  to  disappear  forever,  together  with  the  great 
race  of  ephemerae  for  which  it  was  created. 

"What  his  hearers  thought  of  this  discourse  I  do  not 
remember,  but  I  have  heard  that  the  sun  rose  again 
the  next  morning !" — "The  New  Astronomy/' 


180  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

Thus  we  find  that  science  has  nothing  definite  to 
offer.  We  must  go  elsewhere  if  we  would  know  the 
truth  of  these  things.  Are  all  worlds  limited  in  their 
period  of  existence?  Has  God  built  the  universe  to 
last  but  a  season  ?  Did  He  place  the  suns  upon  such  a 
basis  of  existence  that  they  must  ultimately  become 
exhausted?  Is  the  world  one  day  to  become  as  bar- 
ren as  the  moon  now  seems  to  be?  Is  the  sun  to  be- 
come as  dead  as  a  cinder  and  as  dark  as  the  shadows 
of  forgetfulness ?  Science,  so-called,  says  Yes;  the 
Word  of  God  says  No. 

God  gave  the  sun  to  rule  the  day,  and  the  moon  to 
rule  the  night.  (Gen.  i :  i6.)  He  says:  ''If  ye  can 
break  My  covenant  of  the  day,  and  My  covenant  of 
the  night,  and  that  there  should  not  be  day  and  night 
in  their  season ;  then  may  also  My  covenant  be  broken 
with  David  My  servant,  that  he  should  not  have  a  son 
to  reign  upon  his  throne."  Jer.  33 :  20,  21.  This  cove- 
nant of  day  and  night  involves  the  sun  and  the  moon ; 
and  the  covenant  with  David  is  the  promise  of  Christ. 
In  another  place,  God  speaks  of  these  same  things: 
"My  covenant  will  I  not  break,  nor  alter  the  thing  that 
is  gone  out  of  My  lips.  Once  have  I  sworn  by  My 
holiness  that  I  will  not  lie  unto  David.  His  seed  shall 
endure  forever,  and  his  throne  as  the  sun  before  Me. 
It  shall  be  established  forever  as  the  moon,  and  as  a 
faithful  witness  in  heaven."    Ps.  89 :  34-37. 

This  is  a  promise  of  the  eternal  reign  of  Christ, 
the  Seed  of  David ;  and  God  makes  that  reign  coexist- 
ent with  the  sun  and  the  moon.  Christ's  throne  is  to 
be  "a  faithful  witness  in  heaven." 


THE  GOSPEL  OF  DESPAIR  181 

The  promises  of  God  in  Christ  are  as  enduring  as 
the  sun  and  the  moon.  Do  you  beHeve  that  Christ's 
kingdom  will  be  an  everlasting  kingdom?  Then  you 
must  believe  that  the  sun  and  the  moon  will  endure  as 
luminaries  through  the  same  unending  ages.  The  sun 
and  the  moon  perform  their  work  by  the  delegated 
power  of  God.  They  are  just  as  enduring  as  the  king- 
dom of  Christ.  God's  promises  in  Christ  are  just  as 
sure  as  the  ordinances  of  the  sun  and  the  moon.  If 
either  goes,  both  go.  All  things  are  in  Christ;  and 
all  that  He  upholds,  remains  while  He  remains.  They 
are  upheld  "by  the  word  of  His  power."  By  Him  they 
all  consist. 

Think  you  there  is  any  danger  that  the  sun  and  the 
moon  will  fail?  —  Oh,  no!  "By  the  greatness  of  His 
might,  and  for  that  He  is  strong  in  power,  not  one  is 
lacking."  Isa.  40:26,  R.V.  "His  ability  and  strong 
power  are  so  great  that  not  one  of  them  can  be  lack- 
ing."—  German  Bible.  "By  the  greatness  of  His 
might,  and  strength,  and  power,  not  one  of  them  was 
missing." — Latin  Vulgate. 

They  cannot  fail.  He  is  too  strong  to  allow  any 
of  His  work  to  go  to  ruin.  The  laws  of  God  in  re- 
spect to  the  heavenly  bodies  are  as  inviolate  as  the  law 
written  and  engraved  on  tables  of  stone.  His  promises 
concerning  the  things  of  nature  are  as  certain  as  His 
promises  to  your  soul. 

The  sun  is  one  of  the  stars.  We  are  told  that  the 
stars  are  to  shine  forever.  "And  they  that  be  wise 
shall  shine  as  the  brightness  of  the  firmament;  and 
they  that  turn  many  to  righteousness  as  the  stars  for- 


182  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

ever  and  ever."  Dan.  12 : 3.  In  one  particular,  those 
who  turn  many  to  righteousness  are  to  shine  as  the 
stars.  That  one  particular  is  here  specified  —  they, 
like  the  stars,  are  to  shine  "forever  and  ever." 

Instead  of  the  sun's  growing  colder  and  darker,  it 
is  to  be  even  brighter  in  the  promised  days  of  God. 
The  moon  is  not  to  lose  its  light,  but  to  shine  far 
brighter  when  the  sun  takes  on  its  sevenfold  radiance, 
in  the  days  of  restitution.  "The  light  of  the  moon 
shall  be  as  the  light  of  the  sun,  and  the  light  of  the 
sun  shall  be  sevenfold,  as  the  light  of  seven  days,  in 
the  day  that  the  Lord  bindeth  up  the  breach  of  His 
people,  and  healeth  the  stroke  of  their  wound."  Isa. 
30 :  26. 

Thus  in  various  ways  and  in  numerous  places  has 
God  revealed,  in  clear  and  unmistakable  language, 
the  future  of  the  universe.  Scientific  speculation,  by 
the  little  data  it  has  gathered,  certainly  has  misread  the 
truth.  It  has  misread  the  truth  because  it  lacks  some 
essential  fact  or  facts.  But  God's  Word  discerns  all 
facts,  and  has  given  us  the  truth  which  conforms  to 
the  facts.  Let  us  not  be  troubled  by  the  speculations 
of  men  while  there  is  left  to  us  the  immutable  Word 
of  God.  No  true  science  opposes  that  Word ;  for 
God's  Word  is  science. 

"There  is  a  recognized  tendency  in  all  high-class 
energy  to  deteriorate  to  a  lower  class.  There  is  steam 
in  the  boiler,  but  it  wastes  without  fuel.  There  is 
electricity  in  the  jar,  but  every  particle  of  air  steals 
away  a  little,  unless  our  conscious  force  is  exerted  to 
regather  it.     There  is  light  in  the  sun,  but  infinite 


THE  GOSPEL  OF  DESPAIR  183 

space  waits  to  receive  it,  and  takes  it  swift  as  light 
can  leap.  We  said  that  if  the  sun  were  pure  coal,  it 
would  burn  out  in  five  thousand  years,  but  it  blazes 
undimmed  by  the  million.  How  can  it  be?  There 
have  been  various  theories:  chemical  combustion,  it 
has  failed;  meteoric  impact,  it  is  insufficient;  conden- 
sation, it  is  not  proved;  and  if  it  were,  it  is  an 
intermediate  step  back  to  the  original  cause  of  con- 
densation. The  farseeing  eyes  see  in  the  sun  the  pres- 
ent active  power  of  Him  who  first  said,  'Let  there  be 
light,'  and  who,  at  any  moment,  can  meet  a  Saul  in  the 
way  to  Damascus  with  a  light  above  the  brightness  of 
the  sun  —  another  noon  arisen  on  midday;  and  of 
whom  it  shall  be  said  in  the  eternal  state  of  unclouded 
brightness,  where  sun  and  moon  are  no  more,  'The 
glory  of  the  Lord  shall  lighten  it,  and  the  Lamb  is 
the  light  thereof.' " — ''Recreations  in  Astronomy,''  by 
H.  W.  Warren,  D.  D. 

Light  was  created  at  the  beginning ;  God  spoke,  and, 
lo,  it  was!  "He  commanded,  and  it  stood  fast" — 
continued  as  it  was.  (Ps.  33:9.)  Let  me  repeat:  He 
bade  Hght  be ;  it  was.  And  at  this,  its  first  appearance, 
it  was  but  energy  from  God  —  a  manifestation  of 
God  through  Christ. 

Now  mark  the  next  step:  God  issued  the  fiat  that, 
as  light  had  come,  so  it  should  continue.  When  it 
came  at  the  first  command  of  God,  it  was  energy  from 
God  —  God's  manifestation.  Then  God  commanded 
that  as  it  had  come,  so  it  should  continue,  or  "stand 
fast."  Still  it  is  energy  from  God;  it  is  still  a  mani- 
festation of  God  in  Christ.    The  same  power  that  made 


184  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

it  first  appear,  still  feeds  it.  Thus  the  shining  of  light 
is  a  continuing  of  the  creative  act;  it  is  a  prolonging 
of  creation.  Watch  the  effect  of  light  in  spring  days 
upon  the  bursting  buds  and  springing  grasses,  and  you 
will  not  doubt  the  truth. 

How  God  can  continue  to  do  this  and  not  exhaust 
Himself,  is  a  silly  question.  Does  God  lose  anything? 
—  The  conservation  of  energy  is  a  law  to  which  we 
know  no  exception.  In  the  universe  of  God,  nothing 
is  lost.  The  leaves  on  this  year's  trees  may  fall  and 
wither  and  decay;  but  they  only  drop  into  the  earth 
to  enrich  the  soil,  to  feed  the  leaves  that  are  to  come 
again  in  some  later  years.  Water  is  continually  leav- 
ing the  ocean  and  entering  the  clouds,  later  to  fall 
upon  the  earth  and  bathe  and  refresh  it ;  but  every  drop 
in  time  gets  back,  to  go  once  more  the  selfsame  round. 
Shall  God  send  light  and  heat  out  into  space,  and 
shall  it  be  thereby  lost  to  Him,  and  beyond  His  power 
to  gather  it  again  ?  Perhaps  He  does  not  care  to  gather 
it  again ;  it  may  serve  other  uses.  We  are  sure,  how- 
ever, that  it  is  not  lost. 

''Through  faith  we  understand  that  the  worlds  were 
framed  by  the  word  of  God."  The  word  that  framed 
the  worlds  called  light  into  existence.  That  is  all  we 
know  about  it:  it  was  by  the  word  of  God.  Light 
came  in  obedience  to  God's  word;  and  now  it  con- 
tinues because  He  gave  His  command.  By  the  utter- 
ance of  His  word,  God  produced  all  that  fills  His 
boundless  universe;  and  in  the  same  manner.  He  can 
cause  the  sun  to  produce  light  and  heat  through  the  un- 
tiring ages.    The  sun  shines  on,  but  it  is  not  consumed. 


THE  GOSPEL  OF  DESPAIR  185 

Moses,  in  his  day,  beheld  a  wonder  when  "the  angel 
of  the  Lord  appeared  unto  him  in  a  flame  of  fire  out 
of  the  midst  of  a  bush:  and  he  looked,  and,  behold, 
the  bush  burned  with  fire,  and  the  bush  was  not  con- 
sumed." 

That  was  a  marvelous  thing.  "The  bush  burned 
with  fire,  and  the  bush  was  not  consumed."  That  was 
a  stupendous  miracle.  But  in  the  heavens  above  us 
every  day,  we  see  the  same  wonder, —  a  wonder  that 
is  to  be  perpetuated  throughout  the  rolling  cycles  of 
eternity.  The  sun,  with  all  its  blaze  of  heat  and  light, 
ever  burns,  to  bathe  the  earth  in  its  rays,  and  give 
light  and  energy  to  all  its  creatures.  And  it  is  not 
consumed. 

No  wonder  that  men,  having  lost  sight  of  God,  wor- 
shiped the  sun ;  but  let  us  look  up  and  away  from  the 
central  orb  of  our  solar  system,  to  Him  who  is  the 
center  of  the  universe,  the  source  of  all  we  are  or  ever 
hope  to  be,  and  whose  tender  mercies  are  over  all  His 
works. 


I 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

Difference  in  Glory 

'  ^  "I"  T  used  to  be  thought  that  the  stars  were  all  very 
much  alike  in  magnitude  and  constitution;  not, 
indeed,  without  considerable  difference,  but  as 
much  resembling  each  other  as  do  individuals  of  the 
same  race." — Young's  "Astronomy." 

That  one  star  shines  more  brightly  than  another 
was  always  apparent.  But  men  thought  that  one  star 
was  brighter  than  another  simply  because  it  was  nearer 
to  us.  They  did  not  believe  that  the  difference  in  the 
radiance  of  different  stars  meant  an  actual  difference 
in  the  stars  themselves. 

But  there  came  a  time  when  men  learned  that  this 
explanation  was  not  sufficient.  There  might  be  in- 
stances where  one  star  was  brighter  than  another 
simply  because  it  was  nearer;  but  as  the  distances  to 
the  stars  came  to  be  measured,  it  was  found  that  some- 
times a  very  bright  star  is  actually  many  times  farther 
away  than  another  star  very  inferior  in  brilliancy. 

Alpha  Centauri  is  about  two  hundred  and  thirty 
thousand  times  farther  from  us  than  is  the  sun.    This 

i86 


DIFFERENCE  IN  GLORY  187 

star  has  a  companion  which  emits  about  one  sixth  as 
much  Hght  as  itself.  According  to  the  most  careful 
estimate  of  the  brilliancy  of  Alpha  Centauri,  the  light 
we  receive  from  it  is  about  ig  qso'ooo  ooo  ^^  ^^^^  which 
we  receive  from  the  sun.  But  if  the  sun  were  re- 
moved to  a  distance  equal  to  that  of  Alpha  Centauri, 
it  would  shine  with  only  52,900,000,000  P^^^  of  its  pres- 
ent brilliancy.  It  follows,  therefore,  that  the  star  emits 
about  three  times  as  much  light  as  the  sun.  A  man 
situated  at  Alpha  Centauri  would  see  the  sun  as  a  star 
one  third  as  bright  as  Alpha  Centauri  appears  to  us. 
Here  is  a  difference  which  cannot  be  accounted  for  by 
a  difference  of  distance. 

Take  for  another  example  the  light  of  the  star 
Sirius.  Because  our  sun  is  much  nearer  than  Sirius, 
it  is  much  brighter.  Sirius  is  considered  to  be  half  a 
million  times  farther  away  than  the  sun.  If  the  earth 
were  midway  between  the  places  these  two  bodies 
now  occupy,  the  sun  would  give  us  one  twelfth  the 
light  now  given  by  Sirius,  and  Sirius  would  shine  four 
times  brighter.  Since  four  times  twelve  is  forty-eight, 
it  follows  that  Sirius  is  forty-eight  times  brighter  in- 
trinsically than  the  sun. 

By  similar  reasoning,  it  is  judged  that  if  Alpha  Cen- 
tauri were  removed  to  the  distance  at  which  61  Cygni 
lies  from  us,  although  thereby  its  light  would  be  dimin- 
ished to  one  ninth  of  its  present  value,  it  would  never- 
theless outshine  either  component  of  the  double  star 
61  Cygni  more  than  eleven  times. 

In  these  instances,  distances  would  not  account  for 
the  difference  in  brightness.    There  appears  to  be  an 


188  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

actual  difference  in  the  stars  themselves  when  placed 
at  equal  distances  from  us.  Men  had  a  ready  expla- 
nation for  this.  It  showed,  they  said,  a  difference  in 
size.  Assuming  this,  the  diameter  of  Sirius  may  be 
held  to  exceed  that  of  our  sun  in  the  proportion  of 
about  fourteen  to  one,  or  to  have  a  diameter  of  nearly 
twelve  million  miles,  and  a  volume  two  thousand  six 
hundred  and  eighty-eight  times  as  great  as  the  sun's. 

But  is  this  second  explanation,  joined  with  the  first, 
able  to  account  for  the  difference  in  star  luster  ?  —  No ; 
there  is  still  another  factor.  Astronomers  have  found 
that  there  is  one  more  characteristic  of  the  stars  which 
they  must  not  overlook  if  they  would  be  with  the  facts. 

"The  differences  of  brightness  are  due,  first,  to  dif- 
ference of  distance;  second,  to  difference  of  dimen- 
sions, or  of  light-giving  area ;  third,  to  difference  in  the 
brilliance  of  the  light-giving  surface,  depending  upon 
difference  of  temperature  and  constitution.  .   .   . 

"As  Bessel  puts  it,  there  is  no  reason  why  there  may 
not  be  'as  many  dark  stars  as  bright  ones.'  .  .  .  The 
companion  of  Sirius,  though  only  giving  about  one 
twelve-thousandth  part  as  much  light  as  Sirius  itself, 
is  at  least  one  tenth  part  as  heavy;  so  that,  mass  for 
mass,  it  cannot  be  one  one-thousandth  part  as  lumi- 
nous." 

In  the  case  of  Sirius  and  its  companion,  we  have  two 
stars  equally  distant,  or  nearly  so,  from  us.  But  by 
investigation  regarding  the  perturbations  in  their  orbits 
through  their  mutual  attraction,  which  is  directly  as 
the  mass,  it  has  been  ascertained  that  Sirius  is  about 
ten  times  the  heavier;  and  careful  measure  of  the  light 


DIFFERENCE  IN  GLORY  189 

we  receive  from  them  respectively,  proves  that  Sirius 
sends  us  twelve  thousand  times  as  much  as  the  com- 
panion star.  It  is  thus  easily  found  that  in  proportion 
to  its  mass,  the  companion  star  is  not  one  thousandth 
part  as  luminous  as  is  Sirius. 

These  are  the  findings  of  modern  astronomy.  Stu- 
dents of  the  skies  have  at  length  reached  the  great  and 
final  truth  that  "one  star  diflfereth  from  another  star 
in  glory,"  or  radiance.  It  took  much  patient,  careful, 
accurate  investigation,  and  it  took  time,  to  gather  suf- 
ficient facts  to  get  at  last  to  the  great  truth.  But  the 
student  of  the  Word  was  told,  nearly  two  thousand 
years  ago,  that  one  star  differs  from  another  star  in 
radiance.  Here  was  the  great  truth,  given  by  the  God 
who  made  the  stars.  Here  was  a  truth  which  com- 
prehended the  facts.  But  men  refused  to  credit  the 
truth  until  they  could  find  it  through  the  facts. 

Had  they  believed  the  Word,  and  conducted  their 
investigations  in  its  light,  doubtless  it  would  have  been 
to  them  an  invaluable  aid.  When  that  faith  entered, 
knowledge  of  the  truth  would  have  come  with  that 
faith.  The  only  thing  left  to  do  would  have  been  to 
find  the  facts.  But  God  knew  that  it  would  be  ages 
before  the  facts  could  be  gathered  one  by  one.  For 
our  own  best  good,  He  left  us  to  search  them  out;  but 
to  keep  us  from  ignorance  during  the  interval,  He  gave 
us  the  eternal  truth.  And  astronomers,  though  they 
should  live  everlasting  years,  would  never  be  able  to 
revise  or  amend  this  simple  statement  of  God. 

One  star  differs  from  another  in  brilliancy.  An  ac- 
cumulation of  facts,  and  very  careful  reasoning  from 


190  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

them,  have  brought  us  face  to  face  with  the  fact  that 
one  star  differs  from  another  star  in  luster.  It  must  be 
so,  not  because  the  falHble  judgment  of  man  asserts 
it,  but  because  that  Word  which  is  above  man's  judg- 
ment, and  which  is  above  all  man's  science,  and  which 
is  ever  and  forever  true  science,  declares  it  so. 

The  Word  tells  us  that  "one  star  differeth  from  an- 
other star  in  glory."  No  two  stars  are  alike.  And 
the  great  difference  in  the  stars,  the  Word  announces, 
lies  in  the  difference  in  their  glory.  This  says  to  us, 
Would  you  know  the  difference  between  one  star  and 
another?  Study  their  glory,  for  therein  lies  their  dif- 
ference. 

The  word  "glory"  in  the  Bible  means  essentially 
character  and  radiance.  I  will  not  attempt  to  show  this 
here,  but  a  careful  study  of  the  term  will  reveal  the 
fact.  Glory  means  character ;  but  it  always  carries  the 
idea  of  luster,  brilliancy,  light.  The  relation  of  char- 
acter and  brightness  as  embodied  in  the  word  "glory," 
seems  to  be  that  of  cause  and  effect;  the  brightness  is 
the  outshining,  or  manifestation,  of  the  character. 

And  so  the  passage  says  to  us:  One  star  differs 
from  another  star  in  character  and  brilliancy.  Study 
that  luster,  examine  that  light,  if  you  would  know  the 
difference  in  character  of  the  stars  one  from  another. 
One  star  differs  from  another  star  in  glory,  and  that 
means  for  you  that  there  is  a  difference  in  their  light. 
Study  that  light,  and  you  will  know  their  difference. 

As  we  study  the  difference  in  a  number  of  artificial 
lights,  there  is  one  difference  that  first  of  all  attracts 
our  attention.     If  a  candle,  a  lamp,  an  electric  light, 


DIFFERENCE  IN  GLORY  191 

and  an  acetylene  light,  are  placed  at  equal  distance 
from  the  eye,  and  the  light  in  each  case  is  of  the  same 
size,  the  spot  of  brightness  in  each  case  will  be  of  the 
same  size.  But  the  brilliancy  is  not  equal.  The  candle 
is  quite  dim,  the  lamp  shines  a  trifle  brighter,  and  the 
acetylene  and  the  electric  light,  though  possibly  smaller 
in  size  than  the  other  two,  far  outrival  them  in  bril- 
liancy.   One  light  differs  from  another  in  brightness. 

Carrying  our  investigations  to  the  regions  of  the 
skies,  as  we  are  to  find  the  difference  in  the  stars  one 
from  another  by  the  difference  in  their  light,  we  ask, 
Is  one  star  brighter  than  another?  And  after  long 
and  careful  search  and  much  thinking,  astronomy 
answers  that  some  stars  are  much  brighter  than  other 
stars,  even  as  an  electric  light  outshines  a  candle.  One 
star  differs  from  another  star  in  radiance,  or  brilliancy. 

Let  us  go  back  to  artificial  lights  and  begin  a  new 
investigation.  We  burn  salt  in  a  white  light  —  the 
light  turns  from  white  to  yellow.  We  mix  alcohol  and 
boracic  acid  and  ignite  them  —  a  beautiful  green  flame 
results.  In  the  same  way,  alcohol  and  nitrate  of  stron- 
tia  give  red  flame.  In  these  experiments,  a  difference 
in  the  character  of  the  thing  consumed  gives  a  differ- 
ence in  the  light  emitted. 

Again  turning  to  the  stars,  we  wonder  if  we  shall 
find  anything  like  this  in  the  light  they  emit.  We  dis- 
cern that  Aldebaran  and  Betelgeuse  shine  with  a  bright 
red  light;  Sirius,  Regulus,  Vega,  and  Spica  are  white; 
Procyon,  Capella,  and  Polaris  are  yellow.  As  a  differ- 
ence in  the  character  of  the  objects  giving  out  the 
artificial  light  gave  a  difference  in  color,  so  astrono- 


192  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

mers  argue  that  a  difference  in  the  constitution  of  the 
stars  gives  a  difference  in  their  Hght.  It  has  also  been 
learned  that  vapor  affects  the  color  of  the  light  passing 
through  it.  And  in  heating  an  iron,  we  notice  that  it 
at  first  is  a  dull  red,  but  becoming  hotter,  emits  a  white 
light.  Thus  we  reason  by  analogy  that  there  may  be 
a  difference  in  the  character  of  the  stars  or  in  the  vapor 
about  them,  producing  the  difference  in  color. 

What  is  all  this  study  but  a  careful  investigation 
that  was  commenced  and  outlined  in  the  Bible  state- 
ment that  *'one  star  differeth  from  another  in  glory"? 
Studying  that  glory,  we  may  have  been  led  up  to  some 
idea  of  the  difference  in  the  stars  themselves.  "We 
are  charmed  with  the  variegated  flowers  of  our  garden 
of  earth;  but  He  who  makes  the  fields  blush  with 
flowers  under  the  warm  kisses  of  the  sun,  has  planted 
His  wider  garden  of  space  with  colored  stars.  'The 
rainbow  flower  of  the  footstool,  and  the  starry  flowers 
of  the  throne,'  proclaim  one  Being  as  the  Author  of 
them  all." — H.  W.  Warren, 

But  there  are  other  differences  in  light ;  and  by  this 
difference,  we  learn  of  new  differences  in  the  heavenly 
bodies.  The  passage  under  consideration  tells  us  that 
"there  is  one  glory  of  the  sun,  and  another  glory  of 
the  moon."  Then  the  reason  follows:  "for  one  star 
differeth  from  another  star  in  glory." 

We  are  here  told  that  the  glory  of  the  moon  is  one 
glory,  and  that  the  glory  of  the  sun  is  another  glory. 
To  demonstrate  it,  we  gather  up  the  light  coming  from 
each,  and  look  for  the  difference  in  that;  because  the 
sun  differs  from  the  moon  in  its  light. 


SiRius,  A  Celestial  Furnace 

The  most  brilliant  star  in  the  heavens.    Many  times  larger  and 

brighter  than  our  sun.     It  has  an  almost  invisible  companion 

that  revolves  around  Sirius  in  about  fifty  years. 


#'        \ 


'^^ 


^\ 


The  36-INCH  Lick  Telescope 


DIFFERENCE  IN  GLORY  193 

"If  the  direct  light  of  the  sun  be  received  upon  a 
plate  of  polished  black  glass,  it  can  be  reflected  in  any 
direction  upon  the  walls  of  a  room.  The  character  of 
light  thus  reflected  is  radically  changed.  The  proper- 
ties of  the  reflected  ray  are  not  now  symmetrical 
around  the  ray.  There  are  certain  directions  in  which 
it  cannot  again  be  reflected." — Appleton's  ''Physics/' 

Light  coming  from  the  sun  can  be  reflected  in  any 
direction  by  a  mirror  or  by  a  plate  of  polished  black 
glass.  This  is  an  essential  of  light  coming  from  the 
sun,  or,  for  that  matter,  from  any  self-luminous  body 
—  the  light  can  be  reflected  in  any  direction. 

But  light  that  has  once  been  reflected  cannot  be  again 
reflected  in  every  direction.  There  is  one  plane  in 
which  it  refuses  to  be  again  reflected.  It  is  then  said 
to  be  polarized.  When  two  mirrors  are  set  so  that  the 
light  of  each  is  incident  at  an  angle  of  54°  35',  no  light 
will  be  reflected  from  the  second  mirror;  a  black  spot 
will  appear  in  the  field  of  view.  If  the  mirrors  are 
kept  at  this  angle,  and  the  upper  one  is  revolved  about 
a  vertical  axis,  the  light  will  grow  brighter  until  the 
mirror  has  turned  90° ;  then  it  grows  feeble  continu- 
ously until  the  mirror  has  turned  another  90°,  when 
it  is  again  zvholly  extinguished. 

To  discover  whether  light  is  reflected,  an  instru- 
ment called  the  polarscope  is  used.  By  means  of  this 
instrument,  we  may  examine  a  given  ray  of  light,  and 
know  definitely  whether  the  ray  has  come  direct  from 
some  self-luminous  body,  or  if  it  has  been  reflected. 
Applying  this  investigation  to  the  light  that  comes 
from  the  moon,  we  find  that  the  moon  shines  by  re- 

13 


194  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

fleeted  or  borrowed  light ;  and  by  the  same  means,  we 
can  always  determine  whether  light  from  the  heavenly 
bodies  is  reflected  from  planets  and  moons,  or  emitted 
by  suns. 

The  Creator  determined,  in  the  constitution  of  light, 
that  bodies  reflecting  light  should  not  be  mistaken  for 
those  which  are  self-luminous.  The  Hght  of  the  moon 
is  essentially  different  from  that  of  the  sun ;  otherwise 
we  should  certainly  have  been  deceived  as  to  the  char- 
acter of  these  two  heavenly  bodies.  But  God  will  not 
deceive;  He  will  not  even  allow  a  deception  in  the 
works  of  His  hands. 

But  He  who  created  light  and  gave  it  all  its  proper- 
ties knew  just  what  these  properties  are.  He  knew 
that  the  glory  of  the  sun  was  not  the  glory  of  the 
moon,  and  He  told  us  that  "there  is  one  glory  of  the 
sun,  and  another  glory  of  the  moon,"  for  one  differs 
from  the  other  in  glory.  We  ought  to  have  believed 
in  His  Word.  He  made  light  so  that  it  would  bring 
us  the  message  of  this  difference  in  the  sun  and  the 
moon,  and  then  He  sent  us  the  same  message  in  His 
Word.  Had  we  not  been  set  in  our  own  way,  we 
would  have  received  that  message  long  ago,  and  our 
science  must  have  been  the  better  for  it,  and  astronomy 
would  thus  have  been  far  in  advance  of  what  it  is. 
God  does  not  want  us  to  be  in  ignorance.  From  every 
side,  He  offers  encouragement  and  inducement.  He 
gives  us  most  earnest  invitation,  "If  any  of  you  lack 
wisdom,  let  him  ask  of  God,  that  giveth  to  all  men 
liberally,  and  upbraideth  not;  and  it  shall  he  given 
him" 


DIFFERENCE  IN  GLORY  195 

But  light  reveals  more  wonderfully  still  a  difference 
of  one  star  from  another;  and  this  difference  of  one 
star  from  another,  remember,  is  revealed  by  the  differ- 
ence in  the  light  they  emit.  Light  is  supposed  to  be 
undulations  in  the  ether.  These  undulations  are  very 
minute  and  of  wonderful  velocity.  Let  a  ray  of  light, 
entering  a  dark  room,  pass  through  a  glass  prism.  "It 
is  instantly  turned  out  of  its  course,  some  parts  more 
and  some  less,  according  to  the  number  of  vibrations, 
and  appears  as  seven  colors  in  different  parts  of  the 
screen." 

"None  of  these  in  any  sense  are  color,  but  affect 
the  eye  differently,  and  we  call  these  different  ef- 
fects color.  They  are  simply  various  velocities  of 
vibration.  An  object  like  one  kind  of  stripe  in  our 
flag,  which  absorbs  all  kinds  of  vibrations  except  those 
between  396  and  470,ocx),ooo,cx)0,ooo,  and  reflects 
those,  appears  red  to  us.  The  field  for  the  stars  ab- 
sorbs and  destroys  all  but  those  vibrations  numbering 
about  653,000,000,000,000  of  vibration  per  second.  A 
color  is  a  constant  creation.  Light  makes  momentary 
color  in  the  flag." — H.  W.  Warren. 

But  let  us  examine  this  spectrum  of  various  colors 
rather  than  the  theory  which  men  advance  to  account 
for  it.  If  we  examine  this  band  of  colors  spread  out 
from  the  white  ray  of  sunlight,  we  do  not  find  each 
color  simple.  Red  is  not  simply  red,  neither  is  yellow 
simply  yellow,  etc.,  but  there  are  all  along  through 
the  spectrum  a  vast  number  of  fine  microscopic  lines 
of  various  lengths.  They  are  parallel,  in  some  places 
near  together,  in  other  places  far  apart,  but  always  of 


196  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

the  same  number  and  the  same  relative  distance  when 
the  same  light  and  prism  are  employed. 

"A  patient  study  of  these  signs  of  substance  reveals 
richer  results  than  a  study  of  the  cuneiform  characters 
engraved  on  Assyrian  slabs;  for  one  is  the  handwrit- 
ing of  men,  the  other  the  handwriting  of  God." 

As  Warren  has  said,  these  lines  are  the  alphabets  to 
new  realms  of  knowledge.  They  are  produced  by  spe- 
cific substances  in  the  sun.  Each  substance  has  its 
own  peculiar  line  or  lines.  Sodium  always  has  two 
lines  in  a  certain  place  in  the  yellow.  Light  passing 
through  vapor  of  sodium  has  the  vibrations  that  would 
fall  on  these  two  narrow  lines  in  the  yellow  utterly 
destroyed,  leaving  instead  two  black  spaces.  Light 
passing  through  vapor  of  burning  iron  has  hundreds 
of  vibrations  absorbed,  leaving  in  their  stead  that  num- 
ber of  black  lines;  but  if  the  salt  or  iron  is  glowing 
gas,  in  the  source  of  the  light  itself,  the  same  lines  are 
bright  instead  of  dark. 

By  taking  advantage  of  these  principles,  we  can  de- 
tect the  presence  of  a  large  number  of  well-known 
terrestrial  elements  in  the  sun.  The  solar  spectrum 
is  crossed  by  dark  lines,  which,  with  an  instrument  of 
high  dispersion,  number  several  thousand;  and  by 
proper  arrangement,  it  is  possible  to  identify  among 
these  lines  many  that  are  due  to  the  presence,  in  the 
sun's  lower  atmosphere,  of  known  terrestrial  elements 
in  the  state  of  vapor. 

"Thus  we  have  brought  to  our  doors  a  readable 
record  of  the  very  substances  composing  every  world 
hot  enough  to  shine  by  its  own  light.    We  find  in  our 


DIFFERENCE  IN  GLORY  197 

sun  many  substances  known  to  exist  in  the  earth,  and 
some  that  we  had  not  discovered  when  the  sun  wrote 
their  name,  or  rather  made  their  mark,  in  the  spec- 
trum."—  H.  W.  Warren. 

"The  reader  now  understands  that  when  the  Hght 
from  a  celestial  object  is  analyzed  by  the  prism,  and 
the  component  colors  are  spread  out  singly  as  on  a 
sheet,  the  dark  and  bright  lines  which  we  see  are  the 
letters  of  the  open  book  which  we  are  to  read  so  as 
to  learn  what  they  tell  us  of  the  body  from  which  the 
light  came,  or  the  vapors  through  which  it  passed. 
When  we  see  a  line  or  a  set  of  Hues  which  we  recog- 
nize as  produced  by  a  known  substance,  we  infer  the 
presence  of  that  substance.  The  question  may  now  be 
asked,  How  do  we  know  but  that  the  lines  we  observe 
may  be  produced  by  other  substances  besides  those 
which  we  find  to  produce  them  in  our  laboratories? 
May  not  the  same  lines  be  produced  by  different  sub- 
stances ? 

"This  question  can  be  answered  only  by  an  appeal 
to  probabilities.  The  evidence  in  the  case  is  much  the 
same  as  that  by  which,  recognizing  the  picture  of  a 
friend,  we  conclude  that  it  is  not  the  picture  of  any 
one  else.  For  anything  we  can  prove  to  the  contrary, 
another  person  might  have  exactly  the  same  features, 
and  might,  therefore,  make  the  very  same  picture; 
but,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  we  know  that  practically 
no  two  men  whom  we  have  seen  do  look  exactly 
alike,  and  it  is  extremely  improbable  that  they  would 
ever  look  so.  The  case  is  the  same  in  spectrum  analy- 
sis.    Among  the  great  number  of  substances  which 


198  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

have  been  examined  with  the  spectroscope,  no  two 
give  the  same  Hnes.  It  is  therefore  extremely  im- 
probable that  a  given  system  of  bright  lines  could  be 
produced  by  more  than  one  substance." — Newcomh's 
"Astronomy." 

Up  to  1891,  scientists,  by  means  of  the  spectroscope, 
had  determined  thirty-six  elements  present  in  the  solar 
atmosphere.  Among  these  are  the  following  well- 
known  elements:  calcium,  iron,  hydrogen,  sodium, 
nickel,  magnesium,  cobalt,  silicon,  aluminum,  manga- 
nese, carbon,  copper,  zinc,  cadmium,  silver,  tin,  lead, 
and  potassium. 

Astronomers  expect  in  time  to  find  present  in  the 
sun  all  the  elements  that  are  present  in  the  earth.  They 
have  found  some  elements  which,  until  their  discovery 
in  the  sun,  were  unknown.  Thus  helium,  coronium, 
and  argon  were  found  in  the  sun,  but  it  was  not  known 
whether  they  existed  in  the  earth.  At  once  a  search 
was  made,  and  both  argon  and  helium  have  been  de- 
tected. In  1895,  helium  was  at  last  identified  by  Ram- 
say, in  connection  with  his  researches  upon  argon. 
He  found  the  lines  of  helium  in  gas  discharged  from 
uraninite  and  other  minerals,  where  it  is  associated 
with  the  so-called  "rare  earths."  Argon  has  been  dis- 
covered in  our  atmosphere. 

But  as  yet  the  most  careful  observation  has  failed 
to  find  in  the  sun  the  slightest  trace  of  bromine,  chlo- 
rine, iodine,  nitrogen,  arsenic,  boron,  or  phosphorus. 
There  are  some  doubtful  indications  of  sulphur;  and 
regarding  oxygen,  "the  evidence,  on  the  whole,  is 
against  its  presence,  though  the  case  is  peculiar." 


DIFFERENCE  IN  GLORY  199 

What  a  marvelous  message  is  this  which  light  brings 
to  us  in  its  analysis !  The  light  from  glowing  sub- 
stances is  in  no  two  cases  alike.  Burning  iron  gives 
out  hundreds  of  bands  in  the  spectrum,  sodium  two, 
and  other  elements  but  one.  We  do  not  expect  to  find 
the  spectra  of  two  elements  to  be  the  same,  any  more 
than  we  expect  to  find  photographs  of  two  different 
persons  to  look  exactly  alike.  The  Creator  gave  light 
this  marvelous  message.  He  endowed  it  with  the 
power  of  revealing  thus  the  absolute  character  of  the 
thing  emitting  the  light.  And  light  was  so  endowed 
evidently  for  this  very  purpose,  that  it  might  bring 
us  word  of  conditions  in  far-away  worlds.  And  as 
no  two  elements  give  the  same  kind  of  light,  and  as 
probably  no  two  stars  have  precisely  the  same  elements 
in  the  same  proportion,  the  light  coming  from  the 
stars  cannot  be  in  any  two  cases  precisely  the  same. 
The  stars  differ  in  their  constituent  elements.  Every 
ray  they  flash  forth  bears  in  its  very  being  signs  of 
what  they  are.  "Hence  the  eye  of  Omniscience,  seeing 
a  ray  of  light  anywhere  in  the  universe,  though  gone 
from  its  source  a  thousand  years,  would  be  able  to  tell 
from  what  orb  it  originally  came." 

As  we  are  known  by  our  doing,  so  the  stars  are 
known  by  their  light.  The  eye  of  All-wisdom  views 
a  ray  of  light,  and  knows,  as  you  know  the  words  of 
this  book,  the  marvelous  message  it  carries.  "One 
star  differeth  from  another  star."  He  who  created 
them,  sees  their  message  in  the  light  they  emit.  And 
He  tells  us  to  see  that  which  may  be  seen;  namely, 
that  "one  star  differeth  from  another  star  in  glory," 


CHAPTER  XIX 

The  Vastness  of  His  Power 

VERY  few  have  any  conception  of  the  wonder- 
ful energies  revealed  in  the  material  universe. 
Before  we  consider  the  forces  manifested  by  the 
stars  in  space,  let  us  for  a  few  moments  think  of  some 
of  the  marvelous  energies  at  work  close  at  hand. 

Consider  the  air  we  breathe.  We  are  not  conscious 
of  the  power  wrapped  up  in  this  invisible  agency ;  yet 
it  is  held  closely  hugging  the  earth  by  the  tremendous 
downward  pressure  of  gravity.  This  pressure  amounts 
to  about  fifteen  pounds  to  the  square  inch.  We  do  not 
feel  it,  for  it  is  through  us  as  well  as  about  us.  We  are 
immersed  in  it.  We  are  saturated  with  it.  The  whole 
pressure  on  this  earth,  expressed  in  tons,  requires  six- 
teen digits,  being  close  to  5,517,823,961,480,000  tons. 
In  round  numbers,  we  may  say  it  is  five  thousand  mil- 
lions of  milHons  of  tons.  But  this  is  but  one  letter,  so 
to  speak,  in  the  alphabet  of  God's  power  in  the  world. 
Consider  next  the  rain.  Listen  to  its  patter.  The 
drops  mean  an  annual  fall  of  millions  of  tons  of  water 
on  the  earth's  surface.    The  average  quantity  of  water 

200 


THE  FASTNESS  OF  HIS  POWER  201 

held  suspended  in  the  air  at  any  time,  is  estimated  to 
be  more  than  50,000,000,000,000  tons.  The  annual 
rainfall  has  been  estimated  to  be  about  two  hundred 
thousand  cubic  miles.  If  spread  out  equally  at  one 
time  over  the  land  portion  of  the  globe,  it  would  cover 
all  the  continents  of  Asia,  Africa,  Europe,  and  North 
and  South  America,  with  water  twenty  feet  deep.  All 
this  enormous  weight  of  water  is  lifted  without  sound 
or  agitation  or  seeming  effort. 

What  gigantic  energy  is  this,  that  lifts  tons  as  easily 
as  we  lift  feathers !  To  such  a  power,  removing  moun- 
tains is  mere  child's  play. 

But  the  pressure  of  the  atmosphere  on  the  earth,  or 
the  pressure  of  the  water  that  falls,  is  as  nothing  to 
the  pressure  of  the  water  at  the  bottom  of  the  oceans. 
At  a  depth  of  two  thousand  five  hundred  fathoms,  the 
pressure  is  estimated  to  be  two  and  a  half  tons  to  the 
square  inch.  Each  one  of  those  inches  of  water  pres- 
sure would  run  twenty-five  ordinary  railway  trains  if 
it  could  be  properly  applied. 

Yet  the  Word  of  God  declares  that  He  measures  the 
waters  in  the  hollow  of  His  hand.    Isa.  40 :  12. 

Think  next  of  the  marvelous  energy  that  operates 
throughout  the  vegetable  world.  In  a  single  pulpy 
squash.  Professor  Clark,  of  Amherst,  Massachusetts, 
demonstrated  a  power  of  two  and  a  half  tons.  No  one 
knows  how  much  more  it  might  have  lifted,  as  the 
measuring  apparatus  failed  at  this  point.  All  over  the 
globe,  this  energy  of  vegetable  life  is  constantly  and 
untiringly  exerted.  The  little  daisy  that  blossoms  in 
the  meadow,  the  vast  acres  of  wheat  that  wave  in  the 


202  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

summer  winds,  each  bunch  of  grass  in  the  pastures, 
every  cornstalk  that  rustles  on  the  prairies,  the  shrub 
that  ornaments  the  landscape,  and  every  giant  tree 
that  wrestles  with  the  wind, —  these  all  show  some- 
thing of  the  stupendous  power  manifested  by  the  vege- 
table kingdom. 

But  let  us  next  consider  the  tides  of  power  flowing 
down  upon  the  earth  in  the  genial  rays  of  the  summer 
sun.  According  to  recent  measurements,  it  appears 
that  on  every  square  yard  of  the  earth's  surface  ex- 
posed perpendicularly  to  the  sun's  rays,  in  the  absence 
of  an  absorbing  atmosphere,  there  could  be  derived 
more  than  one  horse  power,  if  the  heat  were  all  con- 
verted to  this  use.  At  the  equator,  a  steamer  could  be 
driven  at  a  fair  rate  of  speed,  by  utiHzing  only  the 
sunshine  that  beats  down  upon  its  decks.  On  so  small 
an  area  as  Manhattan  Island,  or  that  occupied  by  the 
city  of  London,  the  noontide  heat  is  enough,  could  it 
all  be  applied  thus,  to  drive  all  the  steam  engines  in  the 
world.  Thus  we  see  that  millions  of  horse  power,  un- 
measured by  man,  are  rained  down  upon  us  in  the  form 
of  sunlight.  If  we  were  able  to  gather  up  this  energy 
in  some  way  and  store  it  for  use,  daylight  alone  would 
furnish  an  inexhaustible  supply  of  power. 

The  sun,  besides  supplying  us  with  light  and  heat, 
keeps  the  earth  always  near  it  by  the  force  of  gravi- 
tation. Seldom  do  we  think  of  the  mighty  pull  it  is 
always  exerting  upon  this  earth.  It  reaches  out  also 
to  lay  hold  upon  worlds  much  larger  than  ours,  much 
farther  away  in  the  confines  of  space,  and  that  travel 
in  much  vaster  orbits ;  and  these  too  it  holds  in  an  un- 


THE  FASTNESS  OF  HIS  POWER  203 

breakable  grip.  To  represent  the  power  exerted  be- 
tween our  earth  and  the  sun  only,  we  might  in  thought 
substitute  wires  for  the  invisible  pull  now  existing. 
Each  wire  between  the  earth  and  the  sun  would  have 
to  sustain  a  pull  of  fifteen  hundred  pounds,  three  quar- 
ters of  a  ton ;  and  they  would  have  to  be  placed  so  close 
together  all  over  the  side  of  the  earth  exposed  to  the 
sun  that  a  mouse  could  not  run  between  them. 

But  this  is  a  mere  fraction  of  the  power  that  works 
in  the  sun.  And  that  shining  orb  is  only  a  private,  as  it 
were,  in  the  immense  armies  of  the  heavens.  Besides 
it,  there  are  suns  upon  suns,  many  of  them  much 
brighter  and  mightier  than  it. 

The  sun  is  only  one  of  the  luminaries  of  the  sky.  It 
has  a  train  of  worlds  under  its  sway.  Each  star  in  the 
heavens  is  a  sun;  and  though  we  cannot  see  the  dim 
light  of  planets  so  far  away,  we  are  sure,  from  the  ex- 
ample of  our  solar  system,  that  other  suns  too  have 
their  loyal  attendants.  If  we  could  take  our  station  at 
one  of  these  far-away  stars,  from  those  distant  regions, 
our  sun  would  dwindle  into  a  tiny  spot  of  light,  and 
the  very  greatest  of  our  planets  would  be  entirely  in- 
visible, even  through  the  largest  telescope.  Shining 
by  reflected  light  only,  the  rays  would  be  obscured  in 
crossing  but  a  small  portion  of  the  great  abyss  that 
intervenes.  From  that  far-off  viewpoint,  our  whole 
solar  system  would  be  reduced  to  the  faint  glimmer  of 
a  little  star. 

There  is  no  good  reason  for  us  to  doubt  that  the 
stars  of  the  heavens  have  also  their  attendant  worlds, 
although  these  are  invisible  to  us  from  the  earth.    Out 


204  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

there  in  space  may  be  systems  even  vaster  and  more 
splendid  than  our  own.  As  the  stars  are  without  num- 
ber, so  probably  are  these  systems  of  worlds.  Who, 
then,  can  measure  the  power  of  the  Creator  in  this 
matter  of  gravitation  between  suns  and  worlds !  God 
peoples  immensity  with  His  wonders,  and  reigns  with 
majesty  and  might  through  the  unsounded  deeps  of 
His  unlimited  dominions. 

''Standing  upon  the  latest  found  of  all  the  planets, 
at  a  distance  of  more  than  3,000,000,000  miles  from  the 
sun,  we  are  able  to  look  backwards,  and  examine 
the  worlds  and  systems  which  are  all  embraced  within 
the  vast  circumference  of  Neptune's  orbit.  An  occa- 
sional comet,  overleaping  this  mighty  boundary,  and 
flying  swiftly  past  us,  buries  itself  in  the  great  abyss 
of  space,  to  return  after  its  long  journey  of  a  thousand 
years,  and  report  to  the  inhabitants  of  earth  the  in- 
fluences which  have  swayed  its  movement  in  the  in- 
visible regions  whither  it  speeds  its  flight. 

"The  magnificence  and  complexity  of  the  great  sys- 
tem of  planets,  and  satellites,  and  comets,  which  con- 
stitute the  sun's  retinue,  the  immense  magnitude  of 
some  of  these  globes,  their  periods  of  revolution,  and 
reciprocal  action,  would  seem  to  furnish  sufficient  ex- 
ercise, not  only  for  the  highest  intellectual  efforts,  but 
for  the  entire  energy  which  the  human  mind  can  exert. 
But  the  whole  of  this  stupendous  scheme,  as  we  shall 
soon  see,  is  but  an  infinitesimal  portion  of  the  universe 
of  God,  one  unit  among  the  unnumbered  millions 
which  fill  the  crowded  regions  of  space.  Standing 
on  the  verge  of  the  planetary  system,  we  find  our- 


THE  FASTNESS  OF  HIS  POWER  205 

selves  surrounded  by  a  multitude  of  shining  orbs,  some 
radiant  with  splendor,  others  faintly  gleaming  with 
beauty.  The  smallest  telescopic  aid  suffices  to  increase 
their  number  in  an  incredible  degree;  while  with  the 
full  power  of  the  grand  instruments  now  in  use,  the 
scenes  presented  in  the  starry  heavens  become  actu- 
ally so  magnificent  as  to  stun  the  imagination  and 
overwhelm  the  reason.  Worlds  and  systems,  and 
schemes  and  clusters,  and  universes,  rise  in  sublime 
perspective,  fading  away  in  the  unfathomable  regions 
of  space,  until  even  thought  itself  fails  in  its  efforts 
to  plunge  across  the  gulf  by  which  we  are  separated 
from  these  wonderful  objects." —  0.  M.  Mitchel,  "The 
Orbs  of  Heaven/'  pages  i6p,  i/o. 

But  all  this  vast  display  of  stars  and  worlds  and 
clusters  and  universes  but  spells  out  the  magic  story 
of  God's  unmeasured  power.  The  One  who  did  all 
this  can  do  anything.  He  is,  indeed,  omnipotent;  for 
all  that  we  see  from  this  earth,  by  the  eye  or  the 
camera,  are  but  the  suburbs  of  God's  boundless  do- 
minions. 

Think,  too,  of  their  motions  through  the  oceans  of 
space.  On  the  earth,  winds  moving  a  hundred  miles 
an  hour  are  called  tornadoes.  They  sweep  everything 
clean  in  their  path.  But  in  the  sun,  there  are  tornadoes 
that  travel  more  than  a  thousand  miles  an  hour.  How 
can  we  measure  such  energies? 

On  the  earth,  trains  may  run  at  the  great  speed  of 
a  mile  a  minute;  but  the  sun  and  others  of  the  stars 
travel  twelve  miles  a  second,  or  seven  hundred  and 
twenty  miles  a  minute.     Hardly  any  of  them  travel 


206  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

slower  than  the  flying  cannon  ball.  The  velocity  of 
the  stars  is,  on  an  average,  six  hundred  times  the  speed 
of  the  express  train  that  makes  its  mile  a  minute.  New 
York  to  Chicago  in  a  little  over  a  minute !  New  York 
to  San  Francisco  in  four  minutes !  This  is  about  the 
average  speed  of  the  stars. 

But  what  about  a  speed  of  fifteen  thousand  miles  in 
a  minute ! 

The  motion  of  Arcturus,  which  some  have  called 
the  runaway  star,  is  at  this  frightful  velocity. 

God's  power  is  without  measure.  He  is  the  Mighty 
One.  Through  the  wide  oceans  of  space,  suns  and 
worlds  are  spinning  like  tops,  unceasingly  in  motion. 
They  are  hurled  in  orbits  swifter  by  seventy  times  than 
the  speed  of  the  rifle  bullet.  They  never  move  an  inch 
out  of  their  appointed  paths,  and  never  the  fraction  of 
a  second  out  of  time.  Of  this  upholding  might,  Christ 
has  said,  "All  power  is  given  unto  Me  in  heaven  and 
in  earth."  "All  power,"  yet  who  shall  measure  it ! 

We  have,  however,  called  up  but  a  mere  figment  of 
the  manifestations  of  God's  power.  What  it  really 
measures  is  all  unknown  to  man.  Could  he  essay  to 
measure  it,  he  would  find  it  infinite.  In  the  field  of 
the  Creator's  activities,  we  have  not  as  yet  even  learned 
our  A  B  Cs.  It  is  impossible  for  us  to  spell  out  the 
first  easy  words,  if  such  there  be,  in  the  sweeping  vast- 
ness  of  universe  power. 

"Lo,  these  are  parts  of  His  ways:  but  how  little  a 
portion  is  heard  of  Him?  but  the  thunder  of  His 
power  who  can  understand  ?"    Job  26 :  14. 


CHAPTER  XX 

His  Definite  Foreknowledge 

THE  future  —  how  it  impresses  humanity !  What 
burden  does  it  carry  with  which  ultimately  to 
crush  us?  What  fulfillment  of  our  hopes  awaits 
within  it?  What  will  come  to  us  out  of  its  immen- 
sity?   What  will  we  ultimately  lose? 

It  was  this  strenuous  desire  to  penetrate  the  fu- 
ture which  caused  the  God-forsaken  Saul  to  seek  out 
the  witch  of  Endor.  He  anticipated  and  dreaded  his 
fate  in  the  coming  battle,  and  he  was  determined  to 
find  out,  if  he  could,  the  trend  of  events,  even  if  he 
had  to  secure  it  from  an  agent  of  Satan.  But  the 
evil  one  does  not  of  himself  know  the  future.  He 
may  know  some  of  the  prophecies,  and  thus  gauge 
certain  events;  or  he  may  make  shrewd  guesses  by 
reading  the  effect  from  the  cause.  But  even  here 
he  is  often  frustrated,  because  at  the  last  moment, 
God  may  send  in  some  influence  that  directly  changes 
the  course  of  events. 

In  that  wonderful  chapter  of  Revelation  in  which 
the  future  is  represented  as  a  great  sealed  book,  we 

207 


208  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

are  told  that  no  one  could  open  it,  or  even  look  upon 
it,  except  the  Lion  of  the  tribe  of  Judah,  the  Lamb  of 
God.  Christ,  as  the  representative  of  the  human  race, 
is  the  only  one  delegated  of  God  to  make  known  the 
history  of  the  world  in  advance. 

But  there  are  those  who  deny  even  to  God  this 
ability  to  read  the  future.  The  fact  that  the  future 
is  a  mystery  to  man,  is  no  reason  for  us  to  say  that 
God  cannot  foreknow.  But  if  God  did  not  know 
all  that  is  coming,  He  would  not  be  able  to  promise 
anything  to  His  creatures.  Because  God  foreknows 
all  things.  He  is  able  to  say  to  us  just  what  He  can 
and  will  do. 

Any  one  who  has  even  a  fair  knowledge  of  the 
Bible,  knows  that  God  reads  and  makes  known  the 
coming  events.  When  Nebuchadnezzar  was  thinking 
about  the  days  to  come,  God  revealed  to  him  in  a 
dream  the  whole  future  history  of  the  world,  in  a 
condensed  form.  Concisely  and  graphically,  by  six 
bold  outline  strokes  of  the  master's  brush,  as  it  were, 
the  whole  future  was  painted:  first  Babylon;  then 
Medo-Persia ;  next  Grecia ;  following  that,  Rome ;  and 
after  Rome,  the  divided  empire;  and  last  of  all,  the 
great  stone  cut  out  of  the  mountain  without  hand, 
destroying  the  image,  becoming  a  great  mountain 
filling  the  whole  earth  —  this  last  a  token  of  that  ever- 
lasting kingdom  which  God  will  eventually  set  up  to 
crown  and  end  the  history  of  the  world. 

All  the  great  prophecies  of  the  Bible  —  the  whole 
book  of  Revelation,  for  example  —  portray  the  future. 
With  so  many  of  these  prophecies  already  fulfilled. 


Breaking  Through  the  Mist 

This  illustrates  something  of  the  great  power  in  the  rays  of 

the  sun,  which  move  almost  unbelievahle  quantities 

of  water  everv  da  v. 


14a 


Nebula  in  Ursa  Major 
Although  it  appears  to  be  a  whirling  mass  of  light,  astrono- 
mers fail  to  find  any  evidence  of  such  motion. 


HIS  DEFINITE  FOREKNOWLEDGE  209 

it  is  too  late  now  for  any  one  to  say  that  God  cannot 
or  does  not  read  the  future.  He  has  outHned  event 
after  event,  and  these  have  come  true  accurately  and 
precisely  on  scheduled  time. 

When  a  railroad  company  issues  its  time-table,  that 
is  a  printed  promise  that  a  given  train  will  be  at  a 
certain  station  at  the  appointed  time.  It  is  a  promise 
for  the  future.  These  promises  are,  in  general,  ful- 
filled; but  sometimes,  because  the  events  of  the  fu- 
ture are  unknown,  the  company's  plans  fail.  The 
trains  do  not  arrive,  or  they  come  in  late.  It  is  not 
this  way  with  the  promises  of  God.  When  He  told 
Abraham  that  his  descendants  would  go  down  into 
Egypt,  and  remain  there  a  definite  time,  God  knew 
and  read  the  future.  And  He  revealed  the  future  to 
Abraham.  "It  came  to  pass  at  the  end  of  the  four 
hundred  and  thirty  years,  even  the  selfsame  day  it 
came  to  pass,  that  all  the  hosts  of  the  Lord  went  out 
from  the  land  of  Egypt."    Ex.  12:41. 

But  now,  as  to  the  stars'  demonstrating  God's  fore- 
knowledge.   An  astronomer  has  said: 

"If  I  were  asked  what  is  the  greatest  fact  that  the 
intellect  of  man  has  brought  to  light,  I  would  say  it 
was  this: 

"From  the  infancy  of  time,  our  solar  system  —  sun, 
planets,  and  moons  —  has  been  flying  through  space 
toward  the  constellation  of  Lyra  with  a  speed  of  which 
we  have  no  example  on  earth.  To  form  a  conception 
of  this  fact,  the  reader  has  only  to  look  at  the  beauti- 
ful Lyra,  and  reflect  that  for  every  second  that  the 
clock  tells  off,  we  are  ten  miles  nearer  to  that  constel- 

14 


210  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

lation.  Every  day  that  we  live,  we  are  nearer  to  it  by 
almost,  perhaps  quite,  a  million  of  miles.  For  every 
sentence  that  we  utter,  for  every  step  that  we  take  in 
the  streets,  we  are  miles  nearer  to  this  star.  We  ap- 
proached it  by  tens  of  thousands  of  miles  while  the 
writer  has  been  penning  these  lines,  and  the  reader 
has  been  carried  nearer  by  a  thousand  miles  while 
perusing  them. 

"Nothing  can  give  us  a  better  conception  of  the 
enormous  distance  of  the  stars  than  the  reflection  that 
notwithstanding  the  rapid  motion,  carrying  unceas- 
ingly forward,  .  .  .  ordinary  observation  would  fail  to 
show  any  change  in  the  appearance  of  the  constella- 
tion toward  which  we  are  traveling.  From  what  we 
know  of  the  distance  of  Vega,' we  have  reason  to  sup- 
pose that  our  solar  system  will  not  reach  the  region 
in  which  the  star  is  now  situated  until  the  end  of  a 
period  ranging  somewhere  between  half  a  million  and 
a  million  of  years  from  the  present  time." — New- 
comh's  "Astronomy  for  Everybody,"  pages  ^2^,  ^26. 

But  the  earth  will  never  find  Vega,  for  Vega  is  also 
going  on  its  own  journey,  and  is  passing  away  from 
its  present  position  almost  as  fast  as  we  are  approach- 
ing it. 

What  is  thus  true  of  our  own  sun  and  of  Vega  is 
true  also,  so  far  as  we  know,  of  every  star  in  the 
heavens.  They  are  all  flying  swiftly,  like  balls  shot 
from  cannons.  Indeed,  it  is  a  slow  moving  star  that 
does  not  exceed  the  velocity  of  a  cannon  ball.  The 
most  common  velocities  are  five  to  thirty-five  miles  a 
second.     Yes,  there  are  two  stars,  one  of  them  Arc- 


HIS  DEFINITE  FOREKNOWLEDGE  211 

turus,  whose  velocity  is  somewhere  around  two  hun- 
dred miles  a  second. 

Yet  the  distances  that  surround  these  stars  are  so 
great  that  their  enormous  velocities  seem  very  slow 
indeed.  In  a  thousand  years,  if  one  could  watch  the 
heavens  so  long,  we  should  find  no  appreciable  change 
in  the  positions  of  the  stars.  They  would  seem  to  be 
exactly  in  the  same  places  at  the  end  of  the  time  as 
they  occupied  at  the  first.  In  order  to  see  any  change 
at  all,  we  should  have  to  take  the  swiftly  moving 
Arcturus,  and  observe  it  four  thousand  yeats.  At  the 
end  of  that  time,  it  would  seem  to  have  moved  only 
about  one  half  of  the  distance  shown  between  i  and 
2  in  the  diagram  on  page  150. 

Let  the  heavens  be  studied  on  the  first  night  after 
a  man  is  born,  and  again  on  the  first  night  after  he 
has  died,  and  no  change  in  the  relative  positions  of 
the  stars  can  be  discerned.  Yet  throughout  this  life- 
time of  man,  every  one  of  those  seemingly  steadfast 
orbs  is  moving  so  swiftly  that  in  comparison,  the  speed 
of  an  express  train,  the  flight  of  a  bird,  or  the  rush 
of  a  rifle  ball,  is  as  absolute  rest.  From  age  to  age, 
they  speed  their  way  through  the  abyss  we  call  the 
skies ;  yet  an  old  man,  looking  at  one  of  them,  sees 
it  just  as  he  saw  it  when  he  was  a  little  boy. 

Let  us  get  the  marvelous  vision  of  a  restless  uni- 
verse. Stars  unnumbered,  millions  upon  millions  of 
shining  suns,  attended  by  planets  too  dark  in  their 
reflected  light  to  be  seen  by  means  of  telescope  or 
revealed  by  camera.  Though  their  numbers  rise  in 
the  scale  of  immensity  we  would  fain  call  infinite,  yet 


212  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

every  one  of  them  has  its  ordained  path  in  the  heav- 
ens, fixed  and  settled  for  eternal  ages.  Their  path 
is  as  definite  as  the  track  that  the  train  runs  on.  But 
there  is  one  great  difference  between  the  train  and  the 
stars.  The  train  sometimes  leaves  its  track  and  piles 
up  in  ruin.  Not  so  with  the  stars.  No  star  ever 
leaves  its  path.  And  no  path  ever  fails  a  star.  Be- 
cause of  the  might  of  the  Creator,  not  one  of  them 
ever  can  be  missing. 

But  there  is  another  thing  we  must  add  to  the  pic- 
ture. The  paths  of  the  stars  are  not  parallel  lines. 
The  stars  are  moving  in  many  different  directions, 
until  they  seem  to  weave  in  and  out,  could  we  watch 
them  for  ages,  like  a  mass  of  bees  around  a  hive. 
The  asteroids,  or  minor  planets,  between  Mars  and 
Jupiter,  are  so  thick,  and  their  orbits  so  interwoven, 
that  if  those  orbits  were  wires,  nobody  would  be  able 
to  untangle  them.  Yet  the  astronomer  sees  these 
asteroids,  every  particle  of  star  dust  —  for  they  are 
not  much  better  —  keeping  their  places  in  their  ap- 
pointed paths,  never  changing  from  them,  never  col- 
Hding  or  interfering,  an  object  lesson  close  at  hand 
of  what  is  taking  place  on  a  larger  scale  throughout 
the  starry  universe. 

But  all  this  would  be  simply  impossible  were  not 
God  able  to  read  the  future,  and  see  and  determine 
where  each  heavenly  body  shall  be  in  all  the  coming 
ages,  and  know  that  they  can  never  collide  or  inter- 
fere with  one  another,  or  so  settle  to  one  side  of  the 
universe  as  to  make  it  overbalanced  or  unstable.  As- 
tronomers, by  combining  the  highest  knowledge  gained 


HIS  DEFINITE  FOREKNOWLEDGE  213 

in  several  hundred  years,  have  been  able  to  com- 
pute approximately  the  perturbations  of  the  planet- 
ary worlds,  and  to  predict  roughly  the  return  of  half 
a  score  of  comets;  but  God  has  computed  the  mutual 
perturbations  of  millions  of  suns,  and  planets,  and 
comets,  and  worlds  without  number,  not  alone  for  the 
times  gone  by,  but  throughout  all  the  ages  that  are 
yet  to  come.  He  has  done  this  not  approximately  or 
roughly,  but  with  perfect  and  absolute  precision. 

The  whole  universe  is  filled  with  restless  motion, 
system  after  system,  cluster  beyond  cluster,  stars  and 
nebulae,  worlds  and  comets,  all  sweeping  in  mighty 
paths,  some  in  reverse  order  to  others,  the  motions 
most  complicated,  the  velocities  most  startling,  of 
wheel  within  a  wheel ;  and  only  God  knows  both  the 
end  and  the  purpose  of  it  all,  even  from  the  begin- 
ning. All  have  been  perfectly  adjusted  to  time  and 
place,  to  balancing  perfectly  forever  the  great  ma- 
terial universe.  Every  globe  has  been  weighed  and 
poised  in  space,  every  orbit  has  been  measured  and 
given  its  beautiful  curve.  God  has  permitted  a  cer- 
tain elasticity  of  relative  position,  a  sort  of  rocking 
back  and  forth  of  the  system ;  yet  it  never  introduces 
disorder,  and  it  never  leads  to  destruction.  But  this 
flexibility  of  position  makes  the  paths  just  so  much 
the  more  complicated,  just  so  much  harder  for  us  to 
determine,  though  they  tax  neither  His  wisdom  nor 
His  power  the  tiniest  whit. 

However,  let  us  not  weave  into  this  conception  any 
idea  of  individual  fate.  While  the  heavenly  bodies 
obey  His  will,  acting  as  a  fine  piece  of  machinery, 


214  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

man  is  differently  constituted.  He  is  a  free  moral 
agent.  He  is  to  act  as  arbiter  of  his  own  destiny. 
Yet  God's  providences  are  as  fully  prepared  for  man 
as  for  the  stars.  As  the  poet  declares,  "Thine  eyes 
did  see  my  substance,  yet  being  unperfect;  and  in 
Thy  book  all  my  members  were  written,  which  in 
continuance  were  fashioned,  when  as  yet  there  was 
none  of  them."     Ps.  139:16. 

As  we  view  all  this  display  of  power  and  wisdom, 
we  see  that  it  is  directed  to  noble  and  beneficent  ends. 
God  is  good,  and  His  tender  mercies  are  seen  to  be 
over  all  His  works. 

O  pygmy  soul  amidst  the  vast  immensity,  lose  not 
heart!  If  all  this  grandeur  oppresses  you  with  the 
thought  of  your  smallness,  turn  away  from  the  pro- 
digious sweeps  of  space,  and  center  your  trembling 
faith  upon  the  cross  of  Calvary.  There  behold  the 
sacrifice  of  the  Son  of  God,  and  in  it  the  pledged 
love  and  care  of  Him  who  observes  even  the  spar- 
row's fall. 

The  stars  mark  the  mighty  power  and  infinite  wis- 
dom of  God;  but  the  cross  of  the  dying  Christ  marks 
the  love  of  God,  His  so  great  love  that  paid  for  a 
sinner's  redemption.  It  sets  the  price  of  a  human 
soul. 

We  may  say,  then,  with  the  poet: 

"Behold  this  midnight  splendor  —  worlds  on  worlds  — 
Ten  thousand  add,  and  twice  ten  thousand  more; 
One  soul  outweighs  them  all,  and  holds  the  seeming  vast 
magnificence 
Of  unintelligent  creation  —  poor!" 


CHAPTER  XXI 


The  Clock  of  the  Universe 


ETERNITY !  What  a  word  it  is,  standing  as  it 
does  for  unending  duration!  Yet,  when  we 
come  to  consider  our  conception  of  duration, 
we  find  that  the  mind  cannot  think  of  duration  as  other 
than  endless.  For  instance,  if  we  let  the  mind  run 
back  into  the  distant  past,  we  cannot  think  to  some 
time  when  duration  began,  and  say.  This  was  the  first 
of  it.  The  moment  we  thus  attempt  to  set  up  a  barrier, 
the  mind  assures  us  that  it  can  think  of  just  as  great 
a  period  of  duration  beyond  as  we  have  previously 
measured  oflF.  And  the  thought  comes  that  if  we  be- 
lieve that  these  two  periods  are  all  there  is  to  our  con- 
ception of  duration,  we  are  mistaken,  for  the  mind  can 
conceive  of  just  as  many  of  these  periods  as  it  pleases. 
It  can  count  them  up  into  the  milHons  and  billions; 
and  when  it  has  thus  grasped  a  new  period,  we  care 
not  how  long,  then  the  imagination  runs  out  into  the 
conception  that  all  these  almost  measureless  ages  can 
be  taken  as  a  new  standard  of  measurement,  and  mul- 
tiplied as  many  times  as   we  will,   and  this   mental 

215 


216  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

process  be  kept  up  as  long  as  the  mind  can  work.  But 
at  no  time  have  we  been  able  to  conceive  of  duration 
as  not  existing.  The  mind  can  conceive  of  duration 
only  as  eternal,  stretching  back  forever,  and  stretching 
into  the  future  forever,  without  "beginning  of  days." 

But  while  duration  cannot  be  limited  by  any  begin- 
ning or  end,  it  can  be  measured  as  it  flows.  That  which 
measures  duration,  we  call  a  clock  or  a  watch  or  a 
chronometer,  the  last  word  meaning  a  measurer  of 
time.  When  we  study  the  heavens  as  if  they  were 
some  gigantic  clock,  we  find  almost  a  promise  of  in- 
finite duration.  And  this  idea  of  the  universe  as  a 
clock  is  not  a  mere  figure  of  speech. 

A  captain  is  navigating  a  ship,  we  will  say,  from 
Liverpool  to  China.  Frequently  he  must  determine  the 
precise  location  of  his  ship.  If  he  were  unable  to  do 
this,  he  could  not  find  his  way  across  the  trackless 
ocean.  Observations  of  the  sun  give  him  his  latitude 
and  tell  him  his  local  time.  After  he  has  obtained  his 
local  time,  in  order  to  find  how  far  he  has  sailed  west, 
he  has  but  to  find  the  difference  between  the  local  time 
and  the  Greenwich  time,  and  reduce  this  time  to  de- 
grees and  divisions  of  a  degree.  Having  turned  the 
difference  in  time  into  degrees  and  fractions  of  a  de- 
gree, he  can  readily  reduce  it  to  miles  and  fractions 
of  a  mile. 

For  example:  There  are  360  degrees  in  a  circle; 
hence  360  degrees  measure  the  entire  circumference 
of  the  earth.  Then  one  degree  is  one  three  hundred 
and  sixtieth  of  the  circumference  of  the  earth. 
Roughly,   the   circumference   of   the   earth   is   25,000 


THE  CLOCK  OF  THE  UNIVERSE  217 

miles ;  and  one  degree  would  be  25,000  divided  by  360, 
or  about  69  miles,  at  the  equator.  North  or  south  of 
the  equator,  the  circle  of  the  earth  being  smaller,  the 
degree  is  smaller;  so  that  half  way  from  the  equator 
to  the  pole,  it  would  be  very  nearly  49  miles;  and  at 
the  pole,  it  would  be  nothing.  One  degree  of  latitude 
would  be  slightly  over  69  miles,  practically  anywhere 
the  observation  might  be  taken. 

The  sun  completes  a  revolution  of  the  earth  in 
twenty-four  hours;  hence  it  passes  over  360  degrees 
in  this  time.  In  one  hour,  it  passes  over  15  degrees; 
and  in  four  minutes,  over  one  degree. 

To  ascertain  the  Greenwich  time,  the  ship  carries 
a  chronometer  that  has  been  carefully  rated  before 
starting;  and  often  two  or  three  chronometers  are  pro- 
vided, to  guard  against  the  risk  of  error,  for  an  error 
may  be  very  serious.  An  error  of  even  one  minute 
might  lead  the  ship  fifteen  miles  out  of  its  course.  But 
we  will  suppose  that  the  chronometer  is  correct;  that 
is  to  say,  it  points  to  twelve  o'clock  when  the  sun  is  on 
the  meridian  at  Greenwich.  The  captain  makes  his  ob- 
servation of  the  sun  on  the  meridian  where  he  is ;  and 
we  will  suppose  that  when  he  does  this,  the  chronometer 
points  to  three  hours  fifty-two  minutes.  This  differ- 
ence of  time  means  a  difference  in  longitude  of  fifty- 
eight  degrees.  Knowing  the  latitude,  the  captain  turns 
to  his  table,  and  sees  just  how  many  miles  there  are 
in  a  degree  of  longitude  at  his  latitude.  If  he  wishes 
to  translate  his  course  into  miles,  he  can  readily  do  so. 
But  if  he  wishes  merely  to  know  his  location,  he  has 
but  to  look  at  his  chart  for  the  assigned  latitude  and 


218  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

longitude,  and  he  can  put  his  finger  down  and  say  the 
ship  is  right  there. 

If  he  fears  that  his  chronometer  is  not  correct,  he 
can  test  it  by  the  clock  of  the  universe. 

Now  there  is  such  a  clock,  and  it  keeps  Greenwich 
time,  even  though  the  captain  is  many  miles  from 
England;  and  he  can  look  at  the  face  of  this  clock 
any  cloudless  night,  and  read  the  time,  no  matter  where 
he  is.  Then  if  his  chronometer  has  lost  or  gained,  he 
can  correct  it  by  the  great  clock  of  the  universe.  What 
do  we  mean  by  all  this  ? 

The  face  of  this  gigantic  clock  is  in  fact  the  face 
of  the  starry  heavens.  The  numbers  on  the  dial  are, 
by  this  same  figure  of  speech,  the  twinkling  stars ;  and 
the  hand  that  moves  over  the  dial  is  nothing  but  the 
moon  itself. 

When  the  captain  desires  to  test  his  chronometer, 
he  measures  the  distance  of  the  moon  from  a  certain 
neighboring  star.  He  discovers,  perhaps,  that  the 
moon  is  three  degrees  from  some  star;  and  in  the 
nautical  almanac,  he  finds  the  Greenwich  time  when 
the  moon  is  three  degrees  from  this  star.  Comparing 
this  with  the  indications  of  the  chronometer,  he  finds 
the  required  correction. 

There  are  other  indications  which  cause  us  to  call 
the  universe  a  clock.  On  all  clocks,  there  are  several 
means  by  which  we  ascertain  the  different  divisions 
of  time.  There  is  an  hour  hand,  a  minute  hand,  and 
a  second  hand.  One  division  measures  five  minutes 
by  the  big  hand,  and  one  hour  by  the  small  hand.  One 
revolution  of  the  dial  by  the  big  hand  measures  an 


THE  CLOCK  OF  THE  UNIVERSE  219 

hour,  and  fractions  of  it ;  and  one  revolution  of  the  dial 
by  the  little  hand  marks  twelve  hours,  and  fractions 
of  them.  But  the  heavens  have  more  devices  for 
measuring  duration  than  any  clock  ever  made  by  man. 
Let  us  consider  some  of  these. 

You  will  find,  as  we  consider  these  measurements, 
that  the  periods  of  time  marked  by  an  ordinary  clock 
reveal  the  smallness  of  the  doings  of  men;  while  the 
measurements  of  the  clock  of  the  skies  mark  the  great- 
ness of  the  doings  of  God. 

1.  By  the  clock  of  the  skies,  one  rotation  of  the 
earth  upon  its  axis,  shown  by  the  positions  of  the  sun, 
measures  off  a  day. 

2.  One  revolution  of  the  moon  about  the  earth  gives 
us  the  lunar  month  of  about  twenty-eight  days. 

3.  The  revolution  of  the  earth  in  its  orbit  around 
the  sun  gives  us  the  year  of  36534  days. 

These  are  measurements  that  any  one  can  observe 
and  easily  understand.  But  there  are  others  on  a 
larger  scale.  Some  of  them  run  into  hundreds  and 
thousands  of  years. 

When  we  consult  an  astronomical  almanac,  we  no- 
tice that  the  eclipses  are  given  in  it  for  a  whole  year. 
These  predictions  of  the  lunar  eclipses  are  reliable, 
because  astronomers  have  been  carefully  observing 
the  moon  for  ages,  and  in  tracing  its  path  thus  far,  are 
able  to  project  the  path  it  will  make  in  the  future.  No 
wonder  that  the  Bible  calls  the  moon  "a  faithful  wit- 
ness in  heaven." 

4.  There  is  one  leading  principle  regarding  eclipses 
which  is  so  simple  that  it  can  be  easily  understood. 


220  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

For  example,  if  we  view  all  the  eclipses  in  a  period 
of  eighteen  or  nineteen  years,  we  find  that  after  this 
time,  the  eclipses  repeat  themselves  for  another  similar 
period.  Hence  if  we  observe  all  the  eclipses  in  a  period 
as  indicated,  then  we  can  predict  quite  nearly  all  the 
future  eclipses  for  a  long  time  to  come,  for  the  eclipses 
will  apparently  repeat  themselves  after  the  stated 
period  of  time.  This  period  of  repeating  eclipses  is 
6,585%  days.  This  number  of  days  after  one  eclipse, 
another  similar  one  occurs.  This  period  is  called  the 
saros.  The  exact  length  of  a  saros  is  6,585  days,  7 
hours,  and  42  minutes. 

5.  The  sun  also  follows  the  moon's  example,  and 
repeats  its  eclipses.  Since  the  solar  ecHptic  is  larger 
than  the  lunar,  a  solar  eclipse  has  from  sixty-five  to 
seventy  returns,  occupying  some  twelve  hundred  years, 
so  that  the  sun's  marking  on  the  dial  of  the  clock  of  the 
skies  is  a  period  of  time  over  one  thousand  years  in 
length.  There  is  no  such  large  division  as  this  on  the 
dial  of  men's  clocks. 

6.  There  is  another  division  of  time  marked  by  the 
clock  of  the  skies.  It  is  indicated  by  the  nutation  or 
nodding  of  the  earth's  axis.  Twenty-five  thousand 
years  are  required  for  one  wobble  of  the  pole  of  the 
earth;  and  during  this  time,  the  moon  will  have  wob- 
bled fourteen  hundred  times.  Twenty-five  thousand 
years  for  one  rotation  of  the  pole!  The  large  cycle 
is  called  the  precession  of  the  axis  of  the  earth;  and 
the  nodding  back  and  forth  is  called  the  nutation. 

7.  The  major  planets  give  us  some  interesting  peri- 
ods of  time.    Their  revolution  around  the  sun  requires 


THE  CLOCK  OF  THE  UNIVERSE  221 

more  time  than  the  earth's.  Mars  marks  off  a  division 
on  the  clock  of  the  skies  by  a  revolution  in  about  687 
days,  or  a  period  well  along  toward  two  of  our  years. 
Jupiter  requires  4,332  days,  or  something  over  eleven 
years.  Saturn's  period  is  nearly  30  years ;  that  of 
Uranus,  more  than  84  years;  and  Neptune's,  nearly 
165  years. 

8.  There  is  still  another  great  period  of  time  marked 
off  on  the  dial  of  the  skies,  but  I  cannot  tell  you  its 
length.  It  is  the  gigantic  period  indicated  by  one  revo- 
lution of  the  sun  around  its  center,  wherever  that  may 
be.  The  sun  is  moving  over  ten  miles  a  second  —  yes, 
better  than  seven  hundred  miles  a  minute.  It  carries 
all  the  planets  of  our  system  with  it  at  this  astounding 
pace.  An  express  train  makes  perhaps  a  mile  a  minute, 
but  the  sun  moves  over  seven  hundred  miles  a  minute. 
Yet  its  orbit  is  so  vastly  large  that  astronomers  cannot 
detect  the  slightest  curvature  in  it.  The  sun  seems  to 
be  moving  in  a  straight  line ;  but  we  are  sure  that  this 
cannot  be,  for  every  path  yet  found  for  a  heavenly 
body  is  a  closed  orbit,  unless  we  except  some  of  the 
comets.  The  great  bodies  of  the  skies  move  in  circles 
or  ellipses. 

How  many  aeons  of  ages  it  will  require  for  the  sun 
once  to  encircle  its  mighty  orbit,  no  man  can  say.  But 
the  fact  of  such  a  monstrous  cycle  of  time  on  the  dial 
of  the  clock  of  the  skies  tells  us  something  of  those 
ages  which  belong  to  Him  who  "inhabiteth  eternity." 
From  everlasting  to  everlasting  is  the  measurement  of 
His  existence ;  and  that  which  He  has  made  shadows 
forth  something  of  the  greatness  of  His  infinite  years. 


222  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

And  if  we  were  able  to  measure  the  time  required 
by  the  sun  to  make  one  circle  of  the  center  around 
which  it  revolves,  we  might  find  other  suns  that  require 
vastly  longer  periods  to  compass  their  orbits.  Out 
of  the  innumerable  stars  that  glimmer  in  the  heav- 
ens, there  are  infinite  possibilities  for  the  measure- 
ment of  mighty  cycles.  Thus  the  clock  of  the  universe 
may  ever  be  marking  off  the  eternal  ages  of  God,  and 
never  be  nearer  the  end  than  it  was  before. 

And  endless  though  that  duration  may  be,  God  will 
never  change.  He  is  the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and 
forevermore.  It  is  from  His  unchanging  faithfulness 
that  we  gather  our  lessons  of  hope  and  trust. 

And  the  Word  declares  that  the  one  who  does  God's 
will  shall  abide  forever.  He  shall  live  while  the  sun, 
hurrying  on  its  700  miles  a  minute,  traverses  the 
mighty  orbit  marked  out  for  it  in  the  heavens,  though 
it  may  be  countless  millions  of  millions  of  ages  of  ages. 
And  when  that  time  has  gone  by,  and  the  sun  is  making 
the  second  cycle,  the  child  of  God  can  say,  "I  still 
have  just  as  many  ages  to  live  as  I  had  when  the  sun 
began  so  long  ago."  And  no  matter  how  many  mil- 
lions of  ages  the  circuit  of  the  sun  may  require,  and 
no  matter  how  many  times  the  sun  may  circle  this 
orbit  round,  there  has  been  nothing  taken  from  the 
infinite  ages  of  the  immortal  life;  for  eternity  has 
never  an  end. 

And  O,  to  think  of  it,  beloved,  "He  that  doeth  the 
will  of  God  abideth  forever."  "They  that  turn  many 
to  righteousness  [shall  shine]  as  the  stars  forever  and 
ever." 


CHAPTER  XXII 

God's  Dwelling  Place,  Where? 

ASTRONOMY  has  revealed  almost  infinite 
depths  to  the  stellar  universe,  stars  and  sys- 
tems extending  through  space  without  end. 
The  universe  is  vast.  Its  infinitude  reflects  the  infinity 
of  its  Maker.  God  rules  His  universe;  over  and  over 
again  we  have  seen  examples  of  the  might  of  His 
sway.  From  His  high  throne,  in  the  midst  of  His  uni- 
verse, by  invisible  rays  of  power  and  influence.  He  is 
perfectly  in  control  of  it  all. 

Some  seem  to  think  that  if  God  be  considered  as  a 
personal  being,  seated  somewhere  upon  a  throne,  such 
vestiture  of  personality  and  definite  location  divests 
Him  of  universal  presence  and  power.  But  there  is 
no  need  that  it  do  anything  of  the  kind. 

Neither  is  it  logical  and  reasonable  to  take  the  pan- 
theistic idea  that  God  can  be  universally  present  only 
if  He  be  a  divine  Spirit  or  essence  merely,  pervading 
all  things.  Such  a  view,  no  matter  what  its  exponents 
may  say  in  words,  immerses  God  in  His  creation.  It 
drowns  Him,  so  to  speak,  in  His  own  works. 

223 


224  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

Personality  is  the  mightiest  factor  in  the  universe. 
But  to  say  that  God  is  not  a  person,  as  some  modern 
religionists  do,  in  harmony  with  the  teachings  of  pan- 
theism for  ages  gone,  is  to  say  that  we  have  something 
infinitely  greater  than  God  has.  And  the  reason  that 
the  position  is  taken  is  really  because  the  human  heart 
is  pleased  to  think  that  there  is  no  personal  God  to 
whom  it  is  responsible.  As  such  view  the  subject,  each 
is  a  part  of  God,  for  all  is  God.  And  wherever  such 
a  view  has  undisturbed  course,  it  leads  to  the  lowest 
depths  of  moral  debasement  and  corruption;  for  any- 
thing that  one  does  (thus  they  finally  come  to  consider 
it)  cannot  be  wrong,  because  all  are  parts  of  God. 
Some  are  already  boldly  teaching  this,  as  in  the  follow- 
ing poem : 

"For  all  is  good  if  understood 

(Ah,  could  we  understand!)  ; 
And  right  or  ill  are  tools  of  skill 
Held  in  His  either  hand. 

"The  harlot  and  the  anchorite, 
The  martyr  and  the  rake  — 
Deftly  He  fashions  each  aright 
Its  vital  part  to  take. 

"Wisdom  He  makes  to  guide  the  sap 

Where  the  high  blossoms  be, 
And  lust  to  kill  the  weaker  branch, 
And  drink  to  trim  the  tree, 

"And  holiness  so  that  the  bole 

Be  solid  to  the  core. 
And  plague  and  fever  that  the  whole 
Be  changing  evermore. 

"He  strews  the  microbes  in  the  lungs. 

The  blood  clot  in  the  brain. 
With  test  and  test  He  pricks  the  best, 
Then  tests  them  o'er  again." — Bolton  Hall. 


The  Sword  and  Belt  of  Orion 

The  belt  is   composed  of   the   three   second   magnitude   stars 

standing  obliquely  on  the  left.     The  three  smaller  stars  below 

in  a  nearly  vertical  line  form  the  sword.     The  center  light  of 

the  sword  is  the  nebula. 


The  Spiral  Nebula  of  Canes  Venatici 

Contraiy  to   the  appearance  of   this  photograph,   there   is   no 

detectable  motion  in  any  nebula.    This  fact  defies 

the  nebular  hypothesis. 


GOD'S  DWELLING  PLACE,  WHERE?  225 

Terrible  as  are  the  teachings  of  this  poem,  they  are 
the  logical  result  of  the  doctrine  of  evolution,  which 
now  claims  practically  all  the  thinking  world.  By  that 
doctrine,  we  are  developing  toward  perfection.  For 
untold  ages,  we  are  told,  the  cosrtios  has  been  moving 
thus.  Not  for  ages  still  will  it  reach  the  highest  place. 
And  so,  as  we  move  on,  sins  and  crimes  and  diseases 
and  death  are  but  parts  of  this  cosmos  process,  over 
which  we  have  but  little  control  —  hence  each  one  is 
"a  law  unto  himself."  Sin,  after  all,  is  not  really  sin, 
but  part  of  the  creational  process.  Crime  is  not  really 
crime,  but  a  relic  of  our  imperfect  state.  And  all  this 
is  sheer  heathenism  —  essentially  the  same  that  the 
heathen  have  taught  and  believed,  but  in  a  form  to 
adapt  itself  to  the  times  and  the  present  state  of  gen- 
eral knowledge.  But  its  spirit  is,  to  forget  a  pure 
and  holy  and  all-powerful  God.  And  if  it  fully  ac- 
complish its  purpose,  the  world  is  lost. 

True,  there  is  but  one  power  in  the  universe.  But 
the  Bible  teaches  that  all  God's  creatures  have  the 
right  and  the  divine  endowment  of  free  moral  agency. 
Truly,  in  this  they  are  made  in  the  very  image  of  God. 
But  some  of  God's  creatures  have  taken  the  illogical, 
unreasonable,  and  unnatural  position  to  will  against 
God,  to  pervert  for  selfish  ends  His  power  and  in- 
fluence intrusted  to  them  —  that  is  to  say,  to  take  the 
materials  with  which  they  were  to  build  Paradise,  and 
instead  build  their  Sodoms  and  their  Babylons. 

Mysterious  as  sin  may  seem  to  be,  it  will  finally  be 
fully  seen  to  be  without  excuse.  God  gave  no  occasion 
for  it,  and  in  no  sense  is  He  its  author  or  originator. 

15 


226  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

If  we  read  the  Bible,  inevitably,  in  following  its 
teachings,  we  shall  learn  that  God  is  a  personal  be- 
ing. We  shall  see,  it  is  true,  that  the  whole  creation 
is  dependent  upon  Him,  but  in  no  sense  is  He  de- 
pendent upon  it.  To  see  this,  we  need  read  only  the 
following : 

"Thou,  Lord,  in  the  beginning  hast  laid  the  founda- 
tion of  the  earth;  and  the  heavens  are  the  works  of 
Thine  hands:  they  shall  perish;  but  Thou  remainest; 
and  they  all  shall  wax  old  as  doth  a  garment;  and  as 
a  vesture  shalt  Thou  fold  them  up,  and  they  shall  be 
changed :  but  Thou  art  the  same,  and  Thy  years  shall 
not  fail."    Heb.  i :  10-12. 

Thus  in  one  scripture  are  announced  most  clearly 
God's  eternity,  His  priority  over  the  creation,  and  His 
independence  of  it;  also  we  discover  the  transient 
element  there  is  in  it,  and  that  by  it  He  is  wholly  un- 
affected. He  is  revealed  as  the  eternal,  unchangeable, 
omnipotent  One. 

Nevertheless  He  is  the  personal  God.  No  other  sug- 
gestion comes  to  us  from  the  Bible.  He  sits  upon  the 
throne  of  power.    This  is  the  Bible  conception. 

Say  some:  "This  limits  God.  He  is  thus  restricted 
to  a  given  area.  It  does  not  agree  with  the  idea  of 
His  omnipotence  and  omnipresence." 

But  the  Bible  clearly  teaches  us  that  God  is  present 
everywhere  by  His  Spirit  and  His  power.  Thus  David 
presented  it.  (Ps.  139:1-16.)  And  when  Christ 
promised  His  presence  with  the  disciples,  it  was  to  be 
by  means  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  (John  14: 16-18.)  But 
though  He  was  thus  to  be  with  them  to  the  end  of 


GOD'S  DWELLING  PLACE,  WHERE?  227 

the  world  (Matt.  28:20),  He  was  for  all  of  this  still 
seated  on  the  throne  of  the  universe,  at  the  right  hand 
of  God  (Heb.  8:1;  Acts  7:56). 

Since  God,  then,  has  a  definite  dwelling  place, 
though  present  everywhere  by  His  Spirit  and  power, 
it  is  but  natural  that  one  should  wonder  where  that 
place  may  be. 

We  would  naturally  conclude  that  God's  abode  is 
at  the  center  of  His  universe.  He  is  seated  at  the 
place  of  control.  The  earth  and  the  other  planets  of 
our  system  revolve  around  the  sun;  the  sun  is  at  the 
center,  or  point  of  control.  The  moon  revolves  around 
the  earth;  the  earth  is  at  the  center  of  the  moon's 
revolutions,  at  the  point  of  power  and  control.  The 
sun,  we  know,  has  a  path  through  the  heavens;  and 
we  naturally  believe  that  for  it  there  is  somewhere 
a  center,  a  point  of  control.  This  center  for  our 
sun  may  be  some  other  gigantic  sun  around  which  it 
swings.  But  whether  our  sun  is  the  last  of  the  series, 
or  if  there  is  another,  then  either  our  sun,  or  that 
other  sun,  central  for  our  sun,  must  revolve  around 
the  great  final  center  where  God  controls  all. 

More  than  one  astronomer  has  risen  to  the  idea 
that  there  is  a  center  for  the  vast  universe  revealed 
to  us  in  the  study  of  astronomy.  For  example,  a 
skillful  and  careful  astronomer  named  Maedler,  when 
employed  at  the  observatory  of  Dorpat,  in  Russia,  put 
forth  the  idea,  in  1846,  that  there  exists  some  central 
point  in  the  universe,  around  which  the  sun,  with  its 
bevy  of  planets  and  comets,  revolves  in  the  course  of 
millions  of  years.     As  a  result  of  his  study  of  this 


228  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

question,  it  seemed  to  him  that  this  center  of  gravity 
for  the  universe,  this  central  sun  for  the  great  cosmos, 
was  somewhere  in  the  direction  of  the  Pleiades;  and 
he  actually  chose  Alcyone,  one  of  the  Pleiades,  as 
possibly  the  central  sun. 

Astronomy  is  as  yet  in  its  infancy.  In  order  that 
the  truth  or  the  falsehood  of  such  a  speculation  may 
be  verified,  the  path  of  the  sun  and  that  of  each  of 
the  stars  must  be  watched  for  years,  until  the  circles 
they  make  are  manifest;  and  then  perhaps  it  will  be 
possible  to  find  the  center,  the  common  center,  if  such 
there  is,  of  all  their  orbits.  Astronomy  has  not  yet 
gone  far  enough  to  perform  such  a  gigantic  task. 
Ages  perhaps  would  be  needed  to  do  this. 

But  astronomers  have  demonstrated  that  the  stars 
are  in  motion;  and  if  time  were  given  them  —  ages 
possibly  —  they  might  determine  the  actual  paths  or 
orbits  of  enough  of  the  stars  to  be  able  to  discover 
the  center  of  them  all.  We  cannot  expect  it  in  our 
time,  however.  "All  that  can  now  be  said  is  that 
the  solar  system  is  moving  towards  a  point  near  to 
the  bright  star  Alpha  Lyrae  with  a  velocity  of  about 
twelve  miles  per  second.  It  will  require  some  years 
yet  to  reach  final  values.  So  far  as  we  know,  the 
solar  motion  is  uniform  and  in  a  straight  line." — 
Holden's  "Astronomy,"  page  406. 

Its  path  seems  to  be  a  straight  line  because  its  orbit 
is  so  large,  and  because  all  we  may  observe  for  years 
is  so  very  small  a  part  of  the  whole  that  we  can  detect 
no  variation  from  a  straight  direction.  But  all  the 
paths  of  heavenly  bodies  so  far  measured  lead  us  to 


GOD'S  DWELLING  PLACE,  WHERE?  229 

the  conclusion  that  the  paths  of  all  the  suns,  or  stars, 
must  be  circles,  ellipses,  or  other  forms  of  closed 
orbits,  with  somewhere  a  center  appropriate  for  their 
movements. 

Every  analogy  teaches  that  creation  is  centered ;  and 
to  think  that  there  can  be  other  center  than  the  Creator 
Himself,  is  irrational.  He  is  the  central  source  from 
whom  flow  all  life  and  power  and  blessing.  Of  Him 
General  Mitchel  has  said:  "At  His  bidding,  every 
planet,  and  satellite,  and  comet,  and  the  sun  himself, 
fly  onward  in  their  appointed  courses.  His  single 
arm  guides  the  millions  of  sweeping  suns,  and  around 
His  throne  circles  the  great  constellation  of  unnum- 
bered universes." 

Whether  our  sun  revolves  directly  around  the  great 
center  of  the  universe,  or  around  some  other  star  or 
stars  that  in  turn  circle  the  center  of  infinity,  we  cannot 
say ;  but  the  conclusion  is  irresistible  that  there  is  such 
a  center  for  the  universe,  and  that  there  God  controls 
and  guides  all  things. 

We  may  not  be  able  to  demonstrate  these  things 
now ;  but  in  the  ages  to  come,  fields  of  knowledge  and 
power  will  be  opened  to  the  redeemed  that  will  clear 
up  every  mystery.  "All  the  treasures  of  the  universe 
will  be  open  to  the  study  of  God's  redeemed.  Un- 
fettered by  mortality,  they  wing  their  tireless  flight  to 
worlds  afar, —  worlds  that  thrilled  with  sorrow  at  the 
spectacle  of  human  woe,  and  rang  with  songs  of  glad- 
ness at  the  tidings  of  a  ransomed  soul.  With  unutter- 
able delight  the  children  of  earth  enter  into  the  joy 
and  the  wisdom  of  unfallen  beings.     They  share  the 


230  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

treasures  of  knowledge  and  understanding  gained 
through  ages  upon  ages  in  contemplation  of  God's 
handiwork.  With  undimmed  vision  they  gaze  upon 
the  glory  of  creation, —  suns  and  stars  and  systems, 
all  in  their  appointed  order  circling  the  throne  of 
Deity." — ''Great  Controversy,"  page  (5//. 

"Suns  and  stars  and  systems,  all  in  their  appointed 
order  circling  the  throne  of  Deity."  This  is  the  mar- 
velous conception.  It  is  the  grand  and  final  thought  in 
all  study  of  astronomy.  More  than  one  astronomer 
has  felt  the  force  of  the  generalization,  and  has  risen  to 
the  conception,  and  has  attempted  to  verify,  by  as- 
tronomical observation,  what  he  believed  to  be  true. 

Gifted  with  more  than  mortal  sight,  from  the  van- 
tage point  of  such  a  center,  one  might  see  how  — 

"Below  lay  stretched  the  universe. 
There,  far  as  the  remotest  line 
That  bounds  imagination's  flight, 
Countless  and  unending  orbs 
In  mazy  motion  intermingled, 
Yet  each  fulfilled  immutably 
Eternal  nature's  law. 
Above,  below,  around. 
The  circling  systems  formed 
A  wilderness  of  harmony; 
Each  with  undeviating  aim, 
In  eloquent  silence,  through  the  depths  of  space, 
Pursued  its  wondrous  way." — Shelley. 

From  such  a  viewpoint,  we  could  see  stars  by  the 
million.  "They  are  strewn  through  endless  space  like 
the  blinding  snowflakes  of  a  Western  blizzard.  They 
are  as  thick  as  the  leaves  of  an  earthly  forest." 

As  we  contemplate  it,  we  say: 

"This  is  a  wondrous  sight, 
And  mocks  all  human  grandeur." 


GOD'S  DWELLING  PLACE,  WHERE?  231 

We  now  raise  the  question,  Is  there  any  portion  of 
the  heavens  discovered  by  astronomers,  that  in  any 
sense  suggests  a  fitness  to  be  the  dwelHng  place  of 
Deity?  We  answer  that  there  is  one,  and  only  one, 
which  at  all  meets  the  conditions,  and  this  is  the  con- 
stellation Orion. 

The  astronomer  Garrett  P.  Serviss  one  evening  was 
watching  with  a  friend  the  matchless  spectacle  of 
Orion  advancing  to  the  meridian,  when  his  companion 
suddenly  turned  to  him  and  remarked: 

"Is  there  not  some  vast  mystery  concealed  in  that 
part  of  the  heavens?  To  me,  at  least,  it  seems  so; 
for  I  can  never  shake  off  the  impression  that  the  crea- 
tive power  which  made  the  universe  lavished  its  richest 
gifts  upon  the  locality  in  and  surrounding  Orion." 

And  Serviss  argues  for  the  same  thing.  We  quote 
his  words : 

"The  same  thought  has  doubtless  occurred  to  hun- 
dreds of  others  while  gazing  upon  that  star-bedight 
region.  The  heavens  are  not  everywhere  alike,  any 
more  than  is  the  face  of  the  earth.  One  of  the  greatest 
charms  that  draws  the  stargazer  to  his  nightly  enter- 
tainment, is  the  astonishing  diversity  of  the  views  in 
various  directions. 

"On  earth  we  do  not  find  diamonds  or  rubies  in  all 
countries.  They  are  confined  to  certain  localities,  such 
as  the  diamond  fields  of  South  Africa,  and  the  gravels 
of  Burma.  In  a  similar  way.  there  are  particular  lo- 
calities in  space  where  not  only  do  specially  brilliant 
stars  throng  together,  but  where  those  stars  possess 


232  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

peculiarities  of  their  own  which  serve  to  rank  them  by 
themselves. 

'The  region  about  Orion  is  perhaps  the  most  won- 
derful of  these  apparently  favored  places.  Spectro- 
scopic analysis,  as  well  as  the  general  appearance  of 
the  lucid  stars  in  that  part  of  the  sky,  warrants  their 
being  thus  set  apart  under  the  specific  denomination 
of  the  'Orion  stars.' 

''It  is  the  part  of  the  visible  universe  to  which  one 
would  most  willingly  pay  a  visit  if  human  personality 
could  quit  this  Httle  earth;  just  as  we  are  drawn  to 
that  side  of  a  garden  where  the  magnificence  of  the 
flowers  shows  that  the  soil  is  richer  and  its  products 
more  abundant  and  splendid  than  elsewhere. 

"This  begemmed  portion  of  the  sky  is  roughly  de- 
limited by  seven  or  eight  of  the  finest  stars  in  the 
heavens,  all  of  the  first  magnitude,  and  marking  the 
corners  of  an  immense  hexagon  with  Orion  situated 
not  far  from  its  center. 

"It  is  a  spectacle  well  worth  looking  at,  and  one  that 
requires  the  use  of  no  optical  instrument  whatever. 

"The  northernmost  point  of  the  great  hexagon  is 
indicated  by  the  beautiful  milk-white  star  Capella  in 
the  constellation  Auriga.  At  the  northwest  corner 
shines  the  rose-red  Aldebaran,  in  the  Hyades,  on  the 
forehead  of  Taurus.  The  southwest  corner  is  illumi- 
nated by  Rigel,  the  gleaming  white  star  in  the  foot  of 
Orion.  Then,  over  in  the  southwest  blazes  and  scin- 
tillates the  imperial  Sirius.  Above  Sirius  is  Procyon, 
slightly  yellowish  white;  and  above  Procyon,  at  the 
northeast  corner,  are  the  Twins,  Castor  and  Pollux, 


GOD'S  DWELLING  PLACE,  WHERE f  233 

which,  although  individually  inferior  in  brightness  to 
the  others,  reinforce  one  another  by  their  appearance 
of  companionship.  Not  far  from  the  center  of  the 
hexagon  shines  the  orange-colored  star  Betelgeuse,  in 
Orion's  shoulder;  and  below  that,  in  the  direction  of 
Rigel,  appears  the  row  of  three  equal  stars  in  Orion's 
belt,  as  attractive  to  the  eye  as  so  many  brilliant  dia- 
monds set  at  regular  distances  apart  upon  the  golden 
bar  of  a  brooch. 

"Photography  has  shown  that  the  middle  portion  of 
this  region,  including  the  whole  constellation  of  Orion, 
is  enmeshed  with  mysterious  loops  and  laces  of  nebu- 
lous cloud.  For  the  possessor  of  a  telescope  there  is 
here  intellectual  entertainment  for  many  an  evening; 
while  those  who  look  with  the  naked  eye  alone  find  the 
display  magnificent  beyond  description.  There  is  not 
one  of  the  great  stars  that  have  just  been  named  that 
is  not  incomparably  mightier  than  our  sun.  It  is  an 
education  to  gaze  and  meditate  upon  that  Golconda 
of  the  heavens." 

It  is  not  difficult  to  find  statements  from  astronomers 
regarding  the  primacy  of  Orion  as  the  one  grand 
spectacle  of  the  skies. 

"The  brilliancy  of  the  stars  in  Orion,  the  conspicu- 
ous belt,  and  the  telescopic  objects  which  it  contains, 
alike  render  this  group  remarkable,  and  place  it  per- 
haps at  the  head  of  the  constellations."  "We  have 
already  stated  that  the  great  nebula  in  the  constella- 
tion of  Orion  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  objects  in 
the  heavens.  It  is  alike  remarkable  whether  we  look 
at  its  size  or  its  brilliancy,  the  care  with  which  it  has 


234  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

been  studied  or  the  success  which  has  attended  the 
efforts  to  learn  something  of  its  character.  .  .  .  Even 
whole  volumes  have  been  written  which  treat  of  noth- 
ing else." — Ball's  ''Story  of  the  Heavens,"  page  434. 
'The  Encyclopsedia  Britannica"  calls  it  "one  of  the 
most  remarkable  nebulae."  Another  writer  names  it 
"supreme  in  the  glittering  skies  of  our  northern  win- 
ter," and  further  remarks,  "The  telescope  does  not  re- 
veal in  all  the  heavens  a  more  wonderful  object  than 
the  great  nebula  lying  just  below  Orion's  belt."  ("The 
Stars  in  Song  and  Legend,"  chapter  on  Orion.)  An- 
other says,  "One  of  the  most  remarkable  and  brilliant 
nebulae."  ("The  Beauty  of  the  Heavens,"  page  93.) 
Another  writer  declares:  "All  other  irregular  nebulae 
sink  into  insignificance  compared  with  that  shown  by 
an  opera  glass  as  a  silvery  patch  round  one  of  the  stars 
in  Orion's  sword.  This  extraordinary  object  (M  42) 
has  been  under  effective  observation  for  250  years, 
and  during  the  last  eighty  has  been  monographed, 
mapped,  measured,  figured,  and  photographed  with  a 
diligence  worthy  of  its  preeminence."  ("The  System 
of  the  Stars,"  page  264.)  "The  New  International  En- 
cyclopedia" says  of  Orion,  "It  is  the  most  brilliant  of 
the  constellations;"  and  "The  Encyclopaedia  Britan- 
nica" remarks  that  "Orion  is  one  of  the  most  conspicu- 
ous constellations;"  while  Ball  says  of  it:  "The  very 
splendid  nebula  in  Orion,  which  is  one  of  the  most 
glorious  objects  that  can  be  seen  in  a  telescope."  "The 
great  nebula  in  Orion  is  known  to  be  the  most  glorious 
body  of  its  class  that  the  heavens  display."  ("In  the 
High  Heavens,"  pages  214,  236.) 


GOD'S  DWELLING  PLACE,  WHERE?  235 

Flammarion  says:  "Let  us  do  homage  to  the  mag- 
nificent Orion,  most  splendid  of  all  the  constellations. 
...  It  is  indisputably  the  most  striking  figure  in  the 
sky,  and  with  the  Great  Bear,  the  most  ancient  in  his- 
tory, the  first  that  was  noticed :  both  are  referred  to  in 
the  ancient  texts  of  China,  Chaldea,  and  Egypt.  .  .  . 
One  of  the  most  magnificent  in  the  entire  heavens, 
Orion  is  not  merely  the  most  imposing  of  the  celestial 
figures,  it  is  also  the  richest  in  sidereal  wonders." 

The  foregoing  quotations  should  certainly  settle  the 
preeminence  of  Orion  as  to  splendor  and  attractive- 
ness. There  are  some  remarkable  things  yet  to  be  said 
about  it,  which  we  reserve  for  another  chapter. 


1 

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CHAPTER  XXIII 

The  Open  Space  in  Orion 

A  WOMAN  who  was  not  an  astronomer  —  who, 
on  her  own  confession,  did  not  remember  ever 
having  looked  into  an  astronomy  —  neverthe- 
less used  an  expression  regarding  the  nebula  in  Orion, 
that  requires  a  great  deal  of  astronomical  lore  to  ex- 
plain.   It  happened  near  the  close  of  the  year  1848. 

This  writer  was  describing  the  events  that  will  take 
place  under  the  seventh  vial  of  God's  wrath  as  pre- 
dicted in  Rev.  16 :  17-21.  At  that  time,  when  the  voice 
of  God  sounds  from  the  throne,  there  will  be  a  mighty 
earthquake,  and  "the  sun,  moon,  and  stars  will  be 
moved  out  of  their  places.  They  will  not  pass  away, 
but  be  shaken  by  the  voice  of  God.  Dark,  heavy  clouds 
came  up,  and  clashed  against  each  other.  The  atmos- 
phere parted  and  rolled  back;  then  we  could  look  up 
through  the  open  space  in  Orion,  whence  came  the 
voice  of  God.  The  holy  city  will  come  down  through 
that  open  space." — "Early  Writings/'  page  41. 

We  quote  the  above  primarily  for  the  expression 
"the  open  space  in  Orion." 

236 


THE  OPEN  SPACE  IN  ORION  237 

Now,  let  us  delve  into  the  science  of  astronomy  with 
reference  to  this  matter,  and  see  if  the  term  is  due  to 
ignorance.  Possibly  there  is  more  science  in  the  ex- 
pression than  some  learned  astronomers  have  guessed. 
And  finally,  if  this  writer  is  to  be  taken  to  task  for 
using  such  words,  then  astronomers  themselves  should 
clean  house;  for  some  of  them  have  been  guilty  of 
similar  words,  or  words  even  more  emphatic. 

What  is  "the  open  space  in  Orion"  ?  Is  it  that  which 
was  suggested  by  Huyghens  of  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury? He  is  supposed  to  have  discovered  the  nebula 
in  1656.  It  struck  its  distinguished  observer  with 
amazement,  as  something  totally  different  in  its  nature 
from  those  sidereal  aggregations  of  which  nebulous 
objects  had  hitherto  been  found  to  consist.  'The  as- 
pect of  the  heavens  around  this  nebulous  light  was 
intensely  black,  a  circumstance  which  suggested  to 
Huyghens  the  idea  of  the  phenomenon's  being  occa- 
sioned by  looking  through  an  aperture  in  the  heavens 
into  a  luminous  region  beyond."  ("History  of  Physi- 
cal Astronomy,"  by  Robert  Grant,  page  563.)  Or  as 
another  astronomer  puts  it,  "Even  Huyghens,  the  dis- 
coverer, .  .  .  was  already  of  the  opinion  that  in  view- 
ing it  we  saw,  as  it  were,  through  an  opening  into  a 
region  of  Hght."  ("The  Universe  of  Suns,"  Richard 
Proctor,  quoting  from  Herschel.)  I  believe  that  Huy- 
ghens's  own  words,  describing  his  sensations,  were,  "a 
curtain  opening,  through  which  one  had  a  free  view 
into  another  region,  which  was  more  enlightened." 

But  this  is  not  the  idea  to  be  conveyed  by  the  ex- 
pression, "the  open  space  in  Orion."     The  sky  is  not 


238  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

like  a  solid  wall,  and  the  nebula  a  sort  of  curtain-like 
opening-  into  another  room,  so  to  speak  —  a  place  better 
lighted. 

The  ancient  heathen  writers,  ignorant  of  astronomy 
and  of  the  nature  of  space,  supposed  the  sky  to  be  a 
huge  crystal  dome.  They  thought  that  lightning  was 
a  momentary  opening  through  the  wall  of  this  dome, 
disclosing  the  fiery  ether  beyond.  Huyghens  seems 
to  have  adapted  his  idea  of  the  nebula  to  this  notion 
of  the  ancients,  apparently  thinking  that  the  nebulous 
light  was  an  opening  through  the  darker  areas  of  space 
into  one  more  enlightened. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  the  nebula  is  an  area  more 
enlightened;  but  we  do  not  see  it  through  an  opening, 
for  all  space  unoccupied  by  heavenly  bodies  is  open 
space.  No;  there  is  a  deeper  meaning  than  any  of 
this  in  the  expression,  "the  open  space  in  Orion." 

To  understand  the  term,  let  us  consider  conditions 
in  other  parts  of  the  heavens  quite  similar  to  those  in 
Orion.  From  a  three-volume  book  on  astronomy,  I 
quote  words  describing  an  interesting  incident  in  the 
lives  of  two  of  the  greatest  of  modern  astronomers. 
It  throws  light  upon  the  question  under  consideration. 
To  quote : 

"Though  we  talk  of  the  'starry'  heavens,  and  espe- 
cially associate  the  Milky  Way  with  the  idea  of  stars, 
yet  it  must  be  remembered  that  there  exist  in  the 
Milky  Way  certain  places  which  seemingly  are  abvSO- 
lutely  devoid  of  stars.  When  Sir  John  Herschel  was 
preparing  for  his  well-known  expedition  to  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope  in  1833,  his  aunt  Caroline  Herschel 


THE  OPEN  SPACE  IN  ORION  239 

wrote  and  requested  him  to  pay  particular  attention  to 
the  tail  of  the  Scorpion,  because  Sir  William  Herschel 
had  been  much  struck  with  the  absence  of  stars  there 
and  with  the  altogether  abnormal  disposition  of  the 
nebulous  matter  which  exists  there. 

"Sir  John,  writing  to  his  aunt  on  June  6,  1834,  re- 
plied that  he  had  examined  parts  of  the  constellation 
Scorpio  as  requested,  and  that  he  had  found  many 
clusters  of  stars,  and  a  nebula  of  remarkable  shape. 
His  aunt,  in  thanking  him,  said:  'It  is  not  to  clusters 
of  stars  that  I  was  referring.  One  night  your  father, 
after  a  long  and  painful  silence,  cried  out,  Hier  ist 
wahrhaftig  ein  Loch  im  Himmel  [Here  is  truly  a  hole 
in  the  heavens]  ;  and  after  having  dwelt  a  long  time 
on  it,  he  left  it,  not  knowing  what  to  make  of  it.'  On 
the  strength  of  this  statement,  Sir  John  Herschel  seems 
to  have  returned  to  the  subject,  with  the  result  that 
he  found,  in  the  following,  patches  of  sky  absolutely 
devoid  of  all  stars. 


R.A. 

Decl. 

h.   m. 

0          / 

16   15 

—23   56 

16   19 

26    3 

16   23 

24   25 

16   26 

24   14 

16   27 

— 24    0 

Ultimately  it  would  seem  that  he  found  no  fewer  than 
forty-nine  such  void  spaces." — "The  Starry  Heavens/' 
Chambers,  volume  3,  pages  no,  in. 

The  cut  used  by  Chambers  in  connection  with  the 
paragraph  quoted,  aptly  shows  the  remarkable  condi- 


240  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

tion  in  the  nebula  which  caused  "the  founder  of  mod- 
ern astronomy"  to  use  the  expression,  "a  hole  in  the 
heavens." 

The  picture  makes  it  appear  almost  as  if  some 
mighty  sun  or  heavenly  globe  had  torn  through  the 
nebula,  leaving  the  opening  behind. 

Thinking  this  problem  out,  Sir  John  Herschel  gave 
his  views  of  the  matter  in  the  following  words:  "In 
the  Coalsack  (near  a  Crucis),  a  sharply  defined  oval 
space  free  from  stars,  it  would  seem  much  more  prob- 
able that  a  conical  or  tubular  hollow  traverses  the  whole 
of  a  starry  stratum,  continuously  extended  from  the 
eye  outwards,  than  that  a  distant  mass  of  compara- 
tively moderate  thickness  should  be  simply  perforated 
from  side  to  side." — ''Outlines,"  section  ygs,  page  5J^. 

Because  of  this  suggestion  from  Herschel,  we  find 
Humboldt  writing  of  the  same  phenomenon  as  follows : 

"William  Herschel's  consideration  of  wholly  starless 
regions  in  Scorpio  and  Serpentarius,  and  which  he  has 
termed  'openings  in  the  heavens,'  led  me  to  the  idea 
that  the  starry  strata,  lying  behind  one  another  in  such 
regions,  may  be  less  dense,  or  wholly  interrupted,  and 
that  our  instruments  being  insufficient  to  penetrate  to 
these  last  strata,  'we  look  into  the  remote  regions  of 
space  as  through  tubes.'  " — "Cosmos,''  volume  4,  pages 

34^>  349- 

In  the  first  volume  of  his  "Cosmos,"  Humboldt 
speaks  in  a  quite  similar  strain.  I  quote :  "If  we  pic- 
ture to  ourselves  the  telescopic  stars  lying  behind  one 
another,  these  starless  regions  in  Scorpio  and  Serpen- 
tarius may,  I  think,  be  regarded  as  tubes  through  which 


•   .^-««.ft^^.^ 

Saturn  Rising 
As  this  planet  might  be  seen  from  its  nearest  moon. 


The  Firmament  of  Saturn  Illuminated  by  Its  Ring 
Saturn  is  about  885,000,000  miles  from  the  sun.  Its  year  is 
almost  thirty  of  ours,  and  consists  of  25,217  Saturn  days.  If 
it  has  seasons,  they  each  last  over  seven  years.  The  ring  of 
Saturn  has  three  parts,  supposed  to  consist  of  relatively  small 
particles  rotating  about  the  planet. 


16a 


AiK  IN  Motion  Exerts  Tremendous  Powj 


THE  OPEN  SPACE  IN  ORION  241 

we  may  look  into  the  remotest  depths  of  space.  Other 
stars  may  certainly  lie  in  those  parts  where  the  strata 
forming  the  canopy  are  interrupted,  but  these  are  un- 
attainable by  our  instruments." — "Cosmos,"  volume  i, 
pages  142,  143. 

And  the  author  of  a  life  of  William  Herschel  has 
referred  to  this  matter  in  most  striking  terms. 

"The  Maker,  Governor,  and  Upholder  of  all  these 
worlds  and  universes  is  one  and  the  same.  Who  He 
is,  what  is  His  central  seat  of  power,  no  telescope,  no 
glass  prism,  can  reveal.  Amid  the  wonders  of  infinite 
space  and  time,  our  standards  of  measurement  and 
knowledge  may  be  said  to  be  our  five  senses;  and  if 
one  of  these,  sight,  were  taken  from  us,  our  sphere  of 
knowledge  would  be  immeasurably  reduced  in  extent. 
On  the  other  hand,  an  addition  to  the  senses  we  have, 
a  quickening  of  the  inner  light,  might  reveal  this 
Builder  of  worlds,  His  palace,  His  living  armies,  with 
a  distinctness,  a  fullness,  hitherto  unknown.  Herschel 
evidently  thought  this  when  he  stood  in  wondering  awe 
before  the  hole  in  the  heavens." — "William  Herschel 
and  His  Work,"  by  James  Sime,  M.A.,  F.R.S.E. 

We  see,  therefore,  that  some  of  the  nebulae  have  the 
peculiarity  of  an  open  space  in  them ;  and  Orion  is  one 
of  these.  But  the  open  space  in  Orion  has  a  signifi- 
cance of  its  own. 

Thus  these  men  of  science  have  used  expressions 
that  debar  any  adverse  criticism  of  Mrs.  White's 
term  "the  open  space  in  Orion." 

As  has  been  explained  by  these  astronomers,  we 
may  speak  of  an  opening  in  the  nebula  of  Orion.    It 

16 


242  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

is  situated,  however,  just  where  one  might  least  expect 
to  find  it;  namely,  in  the  middle  and  brightest  part  of 
the  nebula.  This  portion  contains  apparently  six  or 
more  stars,  four  of  which  are  so  mutually  related  as 
to  mark  the  corners  of  a  rude  square  or  trapezium. 
Of  this  interruption  in  the  nebula.  Sir  John  Herschel 
has  said,  *lt  is  remarkable,  however,  that  within  the 
area  of  the  trapezium  no  nebula  exists."  ("Outlines," 
page  609,  "Observation  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope." 

Not  only  is  there  an  opening  in  the  nebula  at  this 
place,  but  the  whole  nebula  itself  is  conical  or  concave, 
with  the  larger  rim  directed  nearly  toward  the  earthly 
observer.    I  quote  regarding  this : 

"The  multiple  star  Orionis  forming  the  trapezium 
might  be  called  the  foundation  stone  of  the  edifice. 
All  the  lines  of  its  architecture  are  laid  down  with  ref- 
erence to  it;  and  intimate  physical  associations  of  the 
stars  with  the  gaseous  stuff  surrounding  them  has 
been  spectrographically  demonstrated  by  Sir  William 
and  Lady  Huggins,  and  amply  ratified  by  Professors 
Frost  and  Adams. 

"Surrounding  the  trapezium  in  the  brightest  of  the 
nebula,  .  .  .  emanations  (or  what  seem  such)  from 
.  .  .  [this]  core  stretch  away  in  wide  curves  to  form 
outlying  portions  of  the  nebula. 

"The  whole  fabric  of  the  nebula  is  concave  towards 
an  axis  passing  the  trapezium  in  a  northeasterly  and 
southwesterly  direction." — "The  System  of  the  Stars." 

The  interruption  or  break  in  the  nebula  around  the 
multiple  star  or  the  trapezium  has  been  noted  by  New- 
comb.    He  says : 


THE  OPEN  SPACE  IN  ORION  243 

"The  most  remarkable  feature  connected  with  the 
nebula  of  Orion  is  the  so-called  trapezium.  .  .  .  That 
these  four  stars  form  a  system  by  themselves  cannot 
be  doubted.  The  darkness  of  the  nebula  immediately 
around  them  suggests  that  they  were  formed  at  the 
expense  of  the  nebulous  mass." — ''The  Stars/'  pages 
t8o,  i8i. 

We  have  already  quoted  the  statement  of  one  writer 
to  the  effect  that  apparently  emanations  stretch  away 
from  the  trapezium,  the  core,  as  it  were,  of  the  nebula, 
in  wide  curves,  to  form  the  outlying  portions.  An- 
other speaks  of  this  as  "the  nucleus  of  a  far-spreading 
spiral  formation,  probably  an  outlier  of  the  Milky 
Way."    ("Nelson's   Encyclopaedia,"   article   "Orion.") 

Ball,  in  his  "The  Story  of  the  Heavens,"  admits  that 
"there  seems  to  be  an  empty  space  in  the  nebula  sur- 
rounding the  multiple  star."    (Page  455.) 

Putting  all  these  statements  together,  if  human  ob- 
servation is  worth  anything  at  all,  the  nebula  in  Orion 
is  like  a  huge  funnel,  so  to  speak,  with  the  larger 
opening  toward  us,  and  the  tube-like  portion  termi- 
nating in  the  region  of  the  trapezium.  All  this  will  ap- 
pear quite  clear  before  we  close  the  chapter. 

But  let  us  digress  for  a  moment  to  discover,  if  we 
can,  what  nebulas  are. 

Astronomers  now  believe  that  the  nebulae  are  clouds 
either  of  fine  particles,  or  of  a  gas.  The  light  given 
out  is  something  entirely  outside  man's  experience. 
Astronomers  are  puzzled  as  to  its  origin  and  condi- 
tions. Some  suppose  this  Hght  to  be  cold  light,  giving 
out  no  more  heat  than  does  interstellar  space,  which 


244  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

is  several  hundred  degrees  below  zero.  Others  sug- 
gest that  the  light  is  due  to  the  heat  of  fine  solid  parti- 
cles, and  that  therefore  there  is  sensible  warmth,  or 
even  great  heat,  in  the  nebulae. 

"This  titanic  mass  of  pearly  light  —  whence  its  ori- 
gin? If  it  is  a  'cold  light,'  a  luminosity  not  due  to 
heat,  as  in  the  case  of  the  firefly,  then  the  mystery  is 
beyond  any  solution  in  the  present  power  of  science. 
If  due  to  heat,  then  the  quantity  of  heat  must  be  as 
great  as  that  of  millions  of  white-hot  suns." — Profes- 
sor Larkin,  of  Mount  Lowe  Observatory. 

Another  writer  on  astronomy  has  something  inter- 
esting to  say  regarding  the  appearance  of  the  Orion 
nebula : 

*'We  are  looking  at  some  gaseous  material  of  a  blu- 
ish [some  say  greenish]  hue.  The  light  with  which 
it  glows  is  no  reflected  sunlight.  The  nebula  is  indeed 
indebted  to  no  foreign  source  for  that  weird  —  I  had 
almost  said  ghostlike  —  radiance  which  it  gives  forth. 
The  light  comes  from  the  nebula  itself.  But  how,  it 
may  well  be  asked,  should  a  purely  gaseous  substance 
be  able  to  radiate  forth  light?  It  is  easy  for  us  to 
comprehend  how  stars  or  suns  or  comparatively  solid 
bodies  can,  in  virtue  of  their  tremendous  temperature, 
glow  with  heat  like  red-hot  or  white-hot  iron.  It  is 
true  that  flame  is  gas  in  an  incandescent  state ;  but  in 
flame,  a  vehement  chemical  union  of  oxygen  with  some 
other  substance  is  in  progress,  and  this  is  the  source 
of  the  heat  and  the  light  that  flame  gives  forth.  We 
cannot  regard  the  great  nebula  in  Orion  as  originating 
in  anything  resembling  flame." — Sir  Robert  BaU. 


THE  OPEN  SPACE  IN  ORION  245 

"The  nebula  is  a  luminous  body,  but  ordinary  gas 
is  invisible.  We  do  not  see  the  gases  which  surround 
us,  and  which  form  the  atmosphere  in  which  we  live. 
How,  then,  if  the  nebula  consisted  merely  of  gaseous 
matter,  would  we  see  it  shining  on  the  far-distant  heav- 
ens ?  A  well-known  experiment  may  suffice  to  remove 
this  difficulty.  We  take  a  tube  containing  a  very  small 
quantity  of  some  gas:  for  example,  hydrogen,  which 
is  usually  invisible:  no  one  could  tell  that  there  was 
any  gas  in  the  tube,  or  still  less  could  its  character  be 
known;  but  pour  a  stream  of  electricity  through  the 
tube,  and  instantly  the  interior  begins  to  glow  with  a 
violet  light.  What  has  the  electricity  done  in  this  ex- 
periment? Its  sole  effect  has  been  to  heat  the  gas.  It 
is,  indeed,  merely  a  convenient  means  of  heating  the  gas 
and  making  it  glow.  We  do  not  see  the  electricity,  it 
is  rather  the  gas  heated  by  the  electricity.  We  infer, 
then,  that  if  the  gas  be  heated  it  becomes  luminous. 
It  does  not  burn  in  the  ordinary  sense  of  the  word ;  no 
chemical  change  takes  place.  The  tube  contains  ex- 
actly the  same  amount  of  hydrogen  after  the  experi- 
ment that  it  did  before.  It  glows  with  heat  just  as 
red-hot  iron  glows.  If,  then,  we  could  believe  that  in 
the  great  nebula  in  Orion  there  were  vast  volumes  of 
rarefied  gas  in  the  same  physical  condition  as  the  gas 
in  the  tube  while  the  electricity  was  passing,  then  we 
should  expect  to  find  that  this  gas  would  actually  glow. 

'To  settle  the  question  as  to  the  real  nature  of  the 
nebulae,  we  must  call  in  the  aid  of  that  refined  method 
of  investigation  known  as  spectrum  analysis.  .  .  .  The 
spectrum  of  a  gaseous  nebula  is  a  remarkable  sight. 


246  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

Instead  of  the  continuous  band  of  colors,  crossed  by 
dark  lines,  which  is  characteristic  of  the  spectrum  of 
a  star,  the  visible  nebular  spectrum  consists  of  seven 
bright  lines.  Three  of  these  lines  correspond  to  the 
spectrum  of  hydrogen ;  a  fourth  was  formerly  thought 
to  be  due  to  nitrogen.  This  is  now  shown  to  be  er- 
roneous, the  nature  of  this  line  and  of  the  remaining 
lines  being  not  known." — "The  Story  of  the  Heavens," 
pages  461,  462. 

If  you  were  privileged  nightly  to  scan  the  heavens 
with  even  a  small  telescope,  you  would  sooner  or  later 
meet  one  of  the  remarkable  celestial  objects  which  are 
known  as  nebulae.  They  are  faintly  cloudy  spots,  or 
stains  of  light,  appearing  very  vivid  when  outlined 
against  the  black  background  of  the  night  sky.  There 
are  very  few  of  these  visible  to  the  naked  eye,  and 
then  only  to  those  who  understand  what  they  are  ob- 
serving ;  they  look  so  much  like  an  ordinary  star. 

The  nebulae  are  much  in  appearance  like  bright  white 
clouds,  but  they  should  not  for  a  moment  be  con- 
founded with  them.  Clouds  are  to  be  found  only  in 
the  atmosphere ;  but  nebulae  are  immersed  in  the  depths 
of  space.  Clouds  shine  by  the  light  of  the  sun  which 
they  reflect  to  the  eye ;  but  nebulae  shine  by  their  own 
light.  Clouds  are  ever  changing  and  disappearing; 
but  the  nebulae  remain  unchanged.  Clouds  are  far 
smaller  than  the  earth ;  but  the  smallest  nebulae  known 
to  us  are  not  only  larger  than  the  earth,  but  incompar- 
ably larger  than  the  sun  itself.  Clouds  are  near,  at 
most  but  a  few  miles  away ;  but  the  nebulae  are  many 
millions  of  miles  away  from  us. 


THE  OPEN  SPACE  IN  ORION  247 

The  systematic  study  of  the  nebulae  began  with  the 
gigantic  labors  of  William  Herschel  at  Slough.  He 
determined  to  make  a  complete  survey  of  the  entire 
heavens,  and  to  note  all  the  objects  of  interest  he  could 
detect.  To  one  not  familiar  with  the  use  of  a  tele- 
scope, this  may  not  seem  to  be  much  of  a  task;  but  a 
few  facts  will  make  clear  the  great  labors  necessary. 

Persons  looking  through  the  telescope  for  the  first 
time,  expect  to  see  all  the  sky  as  observed  by  the  un- 
aided eye;  but  while  the  telescope  makes  a  small  area 
look  larger,  only  a  small  part  of  the  sky  is  within  the 
field  of  the  telescope. 

For  example,  even  a  large  telescope  can  take  in  only 
one  half  the  area  of  the  moon  at  one  view.  To  see  all 
of  the  moon,  it  is  necessary  to  move  the  instrument  up 
and  down  and  to  the  right  and  the  left  a  little. 

You  know  that  the  moon  occupies  only  a  small  por- 
tion of  the  sky;  yet,  small  as  it  is,  the  telescope  can 
take  in  at  one  view  only  about  one  half  of  it.  Suppose 
the  heavens  within  our  view  to  be  covered  over  with 
moons  close  together.  They  would  make  of  our  north- 
ern sky  a  mosaic  containing  about  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  thousand  moons.  As  a  good  telescope 
could  show  but  one  half  of  each  moon  at  a  view,  there 
would  be  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  sepa- 
rate fields  of  view  for  the  telescope. 

Thus  you  will  see  that  Herschel  set  out  to  look  at  a 
quarter  of  a  million  separate  spots  in  the  heavens,  to 
note  everything  of  interest  within  sight,  and  to  make 
suitable  notations  of  them,  with  exact  location  of  each 
object. 


248  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

He  chose  the  long,  fine  winter  nights,  when  the  stars 
were  shining  brilHantly.  Herschel  stood  at  the  eye- 
piece of  the  telescope  while  the  panorama  of  the  sky 
moved  slowly  across  the  field  of  his  telescope.  By 
this  means,  he  examined  a  strip  of  the  sky  as  wide  as 
his  instrument  with  each  rotation  of  the  earth.  All 
that  was  necessary  to  obtain  a  new  strip  for  view  was 
to  elevate  or  lower  the  glass  slightly,  and  the  rotation 
of  the  earth  rolled  a  new  strip  across  his  glass. 

"As  to  the  constitution  of  the  nebula  in  Orion.  We 
see  that  it  consists  in  part  of  stars,  making  up,  perhaps, 
in  number  for  their  deficiency  in  size.  These  stars 
are  bathed  in  and  surrounded  by  a  stupendous  mass  of 
glowing  gas,  partly  consisting  of  that  gas  which  enters 
so  largely  into  the  composition  of  our  ocean,  namely, 
hydrogen.  The  wide  distribution  of  this  substance,  the 
lightest  of  all  the  known  elements,  is  one  of  the  most 
striking  facts  in  the  material  constitution  of  the  uni- 
verse."— ''The  Story  of  the  Heavens,"  pages  461,  462. 

The  nebula  in  Orion  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
in  the  heavens.  Ever  since  the  beginning  of  astro- 
nomical research,  it  has  been  viewed  with  increasing 
interest.  It  has  elicited  the  admiration  of  all  who  have 
had  the  privilege  of  seeing  it,  and  the  awe  of  all  who 
have  ever  gained  even  a  slight  intimation  of  its  dis- 
tance and  magnitude. 

The  nebula  is  the  most  beautiful  in  the  entire  sky. 
By  means  of  photographs,  and  the  larger  lenses  of 
modern  telescopes,  it  is  found  to  extend  much  farther 
out  into  space  than  was  at  first  supposed.  Streamers 
of  light  have  been  observed  that  before  were  unseen 


THE  OPEN  SPACE  IN  ORION  249 

and  unknown.  There  is  a  vast  network  of  glittering 
light,  a  robe  of  majestic  glory  laden  and  bedecked  with 
gems  of  stars. 

In  all  ordinary  telescopes,  the  nebula  of  Orion  looks 
like  a  mere  flat  surface.  The  writer  has  seen  it  many 
times,  and  has  observed  its  cloud-like  light,  its  soft 
and  tender  glow,  and  has  been  astounded  at  its  appar- 
ent enormous  size,  the  great  expanse  of  space  which 
it  evidently  occupies. 

Now,  the  eye  cannot  store  the  energy  exerted  by 
light.  The  moment  we  take  our  eye  off  the  object,  the 
image  disappears.  The  eye  can  respond  only  moment 
by  moment  to  the  energy  of  light  as  it  is  received. 
This  is  not  the  case  with  the  modern  exceedingly  sen- 
sitive photographic  plates.  They  store  light  energy 
during  all  the  time  that  they  are  exposed.  Thus  the 
light  piles  up  in  its  effect  upon  the  sensitive  film.  All 
the  light  that  comes  to  it  from  a  heavenly  body  is  con- 
centrated upon  the  plate,  and  produces  a  cumulative 
result  after  several  hours  of  exposure.  By  this  means, 
objects  are  revealed,  effects  are  produced,  of  which  the 
eye  is  entirely  unconscious. 

A  few  years  ago  Edgar  Lucien  Larkin,  director  of 
the  Mount  Lowe  Observatory,  announced  that  there 
was  an  opening  into  the  nebulous  matter  of  Orion. 
From  an  article  he  then  wrote  for  the  Signs  of  the 
Times  Magazine,  I  quote  some  most  remarkable  state- 
ments, which  give  us  the  last  word  upon  "the  open 
space  in  Orion" : 

"The  reader  is  invited  to  come  along  with  me  and 
help  to  sink  a  sounding  line  into  the  most  appalling  and 


250  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

amazing  deeps  of  interstellar  space,  and  to  aid  in  the 
exploration  of  a  huge  cave,  depth,  or  recess  in  the 
nebula  in  the  constellation  Orion. 

"Recent  photographic  transparencies  made  on  glass 
plates  at  the  Mount  Wilson  Observatory  reveal  the  op- 
tical property  of  perspective.  What  has  all  along  ap- 
peared to  be  a  flat  surface  of  nebulous  matter,  the 
beautiful  shimmer  and  sheen  in  the  great  nebula  in 
the  sword  of  Orion,  is  shown,  in  the  central  regions 
of  these  negatives,  to  be  the  mouth  of  a  cavern,  a  deep 
opening  receding  into  the  mighty  distance  beyond. 
These  large  negatives,  taken  by  means  of  the  great 
concave  mirror,,  five  feet  in  diameter, —  the  largest  in 
the  world, —  actually  show  depths  below  the  shining 
surface  of  the  nebula,  the  effect  being  that  the  eye 
looks  into  the  opening  and  along  the  apparent  sides 
to  the  rear." 

"The  wintry  months  are  here.  Orion  rises  early 
in  the  evening,  displaying  splendid  and  regal  robes  of 
night,  garments  of  cloth  of  pearl  and  glittering  dia- 
monds. The  nebula  can  be  faintly  seen  by  the  unaided 
eye,  and  better  in  an  opera  glass.  Go  look  in  the  silent 
hours,  and  summon  all  your  mental  powers,  imagining 
that  the  central  region  of  the  nebula  is  really  the  gi- 
gantic opening  of  a  cavern  leading  into  inconceivable 
depths. 

"The  outlying  portions  of  the  nebula  are  resolved, 
in  these  transparencies,  when  further  magnified,  into 
areas  of  streamers,  wisps,  sprays,  filaments,  and  starry 
lace ;  and  these  are  well  seen  in  the  great  telescope  up 
here  on  Echo  Mountain.    But  all  these  are  less  in  glory 


THE  OPEN  SPACE  IN  ORION  251 

than  the  supernal  vision  of  the  interior  of  the  cavern  — 
the  abyss,  the  chasm  in  infinity. 

"The  nebula  of  Orion  is  wider  in  angular  diameter 
than  the  moon,  whose  diameter  is  thirty-two  minutes 
of  arc.  Cut  off  all  outlying  streamers,  and  treat  mathe- 
matically a  diameter  of  thirty-two  minutes,  and  the 
distance  and  dimensions  of  the  nebula  at  once  sub- 
merge human  thought  as  by  a  flood  from  infinitude. 

'The  opening  of  this  recess  is  at  least  fifteen  minutes 
of  an  arc  in  diameter ;  and  with  this  value  let  the  mathe- 
matical results  obtain. 

"If  we  look  at  any  shining  point  in  this  nebula  in  a 
powerful  telescope,  and  measure  its  position  with  ex- 
ceeding accuracy  by  means  of  a  micrometer,  to-day, 
and  repeat  the  process  six  months  later,  a  most  as- 
tonishing discovery  will  be  made;  namely,  the  two 
positions  are  exactly  the  same.  But  the  earth,  during 
the  six  months,  has  moved  to  a  distance  from  where 
it  was  at  first  of  186,000,000  miles.  See  what  this 
means.  Take  the  same  telescope  to  the  nebula,  turn 
and  look  this  way;  then  the  diameter  of  the  earth's 
mighty  orbit,  a  line  186,000,000  miles  long,  would  ap- 
pear to  be  so  short  that  it  could  not  be  measured  with 
the  micrometer,  an  instrument  able  to  measure  the 
diameter  of  a  fine  hair. 

"But  the  opening  of  the  cave  is  at  least  fifteen  min- 
utes wide.  How  find  its  width  in  miles?  This  is  im- 
possible by  measuring  any  shining  portion  of  the 
nebula;  so  we  must  measure  near-by  stars,  and  then 
assume  that  the  adjacent  nebula  is  at  their  distance 
from  the  earth.    Some  of  these  neighboring  stars  are 


252  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

binaries,  these  being  cases  where  two  stars  —  giant 
suns  really  —  revolve  around  their  common  center  of 
gravity.  By  high  and  abstruse  mathematical  processes, 
fair  determinations  of  their  distance  from  the  earth 
can  be  made. 

"The  result  of  a  number  of  measures  of  the  Orion  bi- 
naries is  that  their  mean  parallax  is  one  two-hundredth 
of  one  second  of  arc.  Parallax  means,  go  to  a  star, 
look  back  this  way,  and  measure  the  angular  distance 
of  the  earth  from  our  sun.  The  linear  distance  is 
93,000,000  miles,  and  the  angular  measurement  from 
these  stars  in  Orion  is  one  two-hundredth  of  one 
second.  Then  two  hundred  lines,  each  93,000,000 
miles  long,  end  to  end,  would  fill  out  one  second  of 
arc,  or  18,600,000,000  miles.  There  are  sixty  seconds 
in  one  minute,  or  1,116,000,000,000  miles,  which,  mul- 
tiplied by  fifteen  (the  opening  in  Orion  being  fifteen 
minutes  of  an  arc  wide),  equals  16,740,000,000,000 
miles.  And  this  is  the  enormous  width  of  the  colossal 
opening  leading  into  the  cavern. 

'Then  ninety  thousand  little  rings  of  the  dimensions 
of  the  earth's  orbit,  each  with  a  sun  in  the  center, 
could  enter  this  abyss  side  by  side  and  be  engulfed. 
And  all  these  dimensions  are  less  than  the  reality,  with- 
out doubt. 

"The  distance  of  the  rear  of  the  chasm  from  the 
opening  cannot  be  measured;  but  it  must  be  at  least 
three  times  greater  in  depth  than  width,  or  fifty-one 
trillion  miles.  But  this  is  also  the  distance  of  the 
giant  sun  Sirius  from  the  earth.  It  and  Alpha  Cen- 
tauri   following  would  find  ample   room   within   this 


THE  OPEN  SPACE  IN  ORION  253 

cosmic  deep.  Torn,  twisted,  and  distorted  masses  of 
shining  gaseous  matter,  adorned  with  myriads  of 
gHttering  points, —  starry  suns,  no  doubt, —  form  the 
gigantic  walls;  and  the  whole  forms  a  scene  of  inde- 
scribable magnificence." 

We  believe,  then,  that  without  question,  beyond  or 
through  this  inapproachable  light  of  Orion  lie,  some- 
where, heaven  and  the  throne  of  God.  Mrs.  White, 
without  astronomical  knowledge,  told  something  about 
Orion  that  no  astronomer  of  that  time  had  yet  meas- 
ured up  to.  Now,  without  knowing  a  thing  about  her 
statement,  and  probably  not  caring  to  know,  they  tell 
us  facts  which  bear  out  her  statement  about  an  "open 
space  in  Orion." 

Since  what  she  said  about  Orion  is  now  proved  to 
be  true,  it  seals  her  further  statement  about  the  voice 
of  God  sounding  down  through  that  zone  of  glory 
from  His  eternal  throne. 

Orion  is  a  wonderful  spectacle  to  the  eye  of  man, 
even  at  the  enormous  distance  from  which  he  views  it ; 
but  oh,  what  must  it  be  to  sweep  through  those  avenues 
of  brilliant  and  radiant  glory !  There  is  room  there 
for  the  city  of  the  coming  kingdom  to  pass  through 
in  its  journey  to  this  earth,  that  wonder  city  which 
John  saw  in  holy  vision,  coming  down  from  God  out 
of  heaven,  prepared  as  a  bride  adorned  for  her  hus- 
band ;  a  city  having  the  glory  of  God,  her  light  as  the 
flashing  of  one  immense,  magnificent  diamond.    (Rev. 

21  :2,  10,  II.) 

As  to  the  size  of  this  cavern,  or  corridor,  Mr.  Larkin 
has  said: 


254  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

"These  negatives  reveal  the  opening  and  interior  of 
a  cavern  so  stupendous  that  our  entire  solar  system, 
including  the  orbit  of  Neptune,  would  be  lost  therein. 
In  all  ordinary  telescopes,  the  nebula  looks  like  a  flat 
surface.  I  have  watched  it  since  the  days  of  youth, 
in  many  telescopes  of  many  powers,  but  never  dreamed 
that  the  central  region  is  the  mouth  of  a  colossal  cave." 

"Human  speech  is  impotent.  Pen  of  writer,  brush 
of  artist,  alike  are  lifeless  and  inert  in  any  attempt  even 
to  describe  this  interior.  Mammoth  Cave  glories  in 
Kentucky,  illumined  by  electric  lights,  are  so  beautiful 
that  words  cannot  be  used  in  their  description.  What, 
then,  should  be  said  of  the  mighty  cavern  in  the  depths 
of  depths  of  Orion's  nebula?  Torn,  twisted,  and  riven 
masses  of  shining  gas,  irregular  pillars,  columns  and 
stalactites  in  glittering  splendor,  and  stalagmites  ris- 
ing from  the  mighty  floor!  The  appearance  is  that 
of  light  shining  and  glowing  behind  Herculean  walls 
of  ivory  or  pearl,  and  these  studded  with  milUons  of 
diamond  points  —  shining  stars." 

Professor  Larkin  estimates  that  the  depth  of  the 
chasm  cannot  be  less  than  fifty  trillion  miles.  This  is 
the  distance  approximately  of  the  bright  star  Sirius 
from  this  earth.  It  is  a  distance  that  light,  though 
traveling  at  the  velocity  of  186,000  miles  a  second, 
would  take  eight  years  to  traverse.  The  distance  may 
be  much  more  than  this.  It  cannot  be  less.  Truly, 
then,  this  is  an  open  space,  and  one  of  such  size  and 
grandeur  as  to  reveal  the  majesty  of  the  Creator. 

Indeed,  therefore,  the  Orion  nebula  is  an  object  of 
interest  to  us  all.    How  infinitely  worthy  of  our  study ! 


THE  OPEN  SPACE  IN  ORION  255 

And  that  interest  will  be  augmented  many  fold  when 
God's  voice  sounds  down  through  the  opening  in  that 
nebula,  shaking  the  earth,  and  declaring  to  God's 
people  the  day  and  hour  of  Jesus'  coming.  Then  will 
come  the  wreck  of  the  world.  Then  will  come  the  de- 
liverance of  those  whose  names  are  written  in  heaven. 
Dan.  12:  1-3. 

The  constellation  of  Orion  appears  about  midnight 
in  November  in  the  southeastern  heavens.  In  Decem- 
ber and  January,  it  is  due  south  about  eleven  o'clock. 
In  February,  you  will  find  it  southwest  about  ten 
o'clock.  And  in  March  and  April,  it  is  in  the  west, 
and  then  sets  below  the  horizon. 

On  the  right  of  Orion,  as  you  face  it,  and  preceding 
it,  are  the  Pleiades.  On  the  left,  following  it  across 
the  sky,  are  the  brilliant  stars  Procyon  and  Sirius,  the 
latter  being  the  brightest  star  in  the  heavens.  Orion  is 
a  great  square,  with  three  bright  stars  in  a  row  close 
together  near  its  center.  Below  these,  three  smaller 
stars  in  a  row  make  a  sort  of  handle  for  the  rake  whose 
teeth  are  the  three  brighter  stars  just  mentioned.  By 
including  another  star  to  the  right,  these  stars  seem 
to  outline  a  kite  instead  of  a  rake. 

This  kite,  or  rake,  is  very  readily  found,  as  it  is  one 
of  the  most  conspicuous  spectacles  in  this  region.  The 
three  upper  and  brighter  stars  in  a  direct  line,  some- 
times called  the  three  kings,  compose  the  belt  in  Orion. 

The  three  lower  and  dimmer  stars  are  called  the 
sword  of  Orion.  The  middle  star  in  this  sword  is  the 
nebula.  Even  to  the  naked  eye,  it  appears  blurry,  or 
cloudy. 


256  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

The  nebula  of  Orion  has  been  described  by  Profes- 
sor Larkin  as  funnel-shaped,  with  the  opening  at  the 
smaller  end.  This  opening  is  marked  by  a  multiple 
star;  and  around  it  the  nebula  seems  to  be  formed, 
like  the  petals  of  a  flower  from  its  center.  This  re- 
markable star  has  been  named  by  astronomers  Theta 
Ononis,  which  means  that  star  in  Orion  which  in  point 
of  brightness  comes  after  the  other  stars  of  Orion 
relatively  in  the  same  place  occupied  by  the  letter  6 
(th)  in  the  Greek  alphabet.  You  will  see,  by  this,  that 
it  is  not  the  brightest  star  in  Orion.  There  are  seven 
stars  preceding  it  in  point  of  brightness.  The  bright- 
est star  of  Orion,  or  Alpha  Orionis,  is  the  star  Betel- 
geuse,  the  upper  left-hand  star  of  the  square.  Beta 
Orionis  is  in  the  lower  right  of  the  square,  and  is 
called  Rigel.  Gamma  Orionis  forms  the  upper  right 
shoulder  of  the  colossus  as  he  faces  us,  and  Kappa 
Orionis  is  his  left  foot. 

Theta  Orionis  is  in  the  open  space  of  Orion.  In  the 
photograph,  we  have  indicated  by  a  white  line  where 
to  find  Theta  Orionis,  with  its  surrounding  open  space. 
Unfortunately,  because  of  the  bright  light  of  the 
nebula,  brightest  of  all  at  the  portion  just  about  the 
open  space,  the  very  sensitive  photographic  plate  be- 
comes fogged  of  much  of  the  details  easily  seen  by  the 
eye  through  a  good  telescope.  To  help  you  to  gain 
something  of  an  idea  of  the  structure  of  the  nebula,  a 
reproduction  of  an  astronomer's  drawing  is  given.  By 
paying  close  attention,  you  will  readily  find  the  inter- 
esting open  place  in  the  nebula.  Fix  your  eye  on  the 
largest,  brightest  part  of  the  nebula.    This  bright  part 


Orion's  Nebula  as  Shown  by  Telescopic  Photography 
The  picture  indicates  the  wisps  and  streamers  of  light  ema- 
nating from  the  open  space,  which  is,  as  one  astronomer  call.'- 
it,  "the  core"  of  the  structure. 


Cassell  &  Co.,  London. 


Another  View  of  the  Nebula  in  Orion 

This  is  an  artist's  drawing  of  the  nebula,  and  gives  details  that 

are  fogged  in  photography.    The  small  dark  spot  in  the  upper 

portion  of  the  brightest  part  of  the  nebula  is  the  rude  square 

or  trapezium.    This  is  the  open  space. 


THE  OPEN  SPACE  IN  ORION  257 

is  not  much  larger  than  an  ordinary  grape  or  raisin 
seed.  At  the  upper  part  of  this  small  bright  patch  as 
shown  in  the  drawing  is  a  dark  portion.  It  is  near  the 
margin  of  the  bright  part,  but  completely  surrounded 
by  it.  In  the  dark  part,  you  will  notice  a  few  stars. 
These  are  the  multiple  star  Theta  Orionis. 

Of  this  open  space  or  interruption  in  the  nebula,  Sir 
John  Herschel  has  said,  "It  is  remarkable,  however, 
that  within  the  area  of  the  trapezium,  no  nebula  exists." 
("Outlines,"  page  609.) 

That  this  opening  has  something  to  do  in  relation 
to  the  nebula  entire  is  evident  from  a  close  scrutiny  of 
its  structure.  The  whole  nebula  is  built  about  it.  I 
quote  from  a  prominent  astronomical  writer  regard- 
ing this : 

"The  multiple  star  0  Orionis  might  be  called  the 
foundation  stone  of  the  edifice.  All  the  lines  of  its 
architecture  are  laid  down  with  reference  to  it,  and 
the  intimate  physical  association  of  the  stars  with  the 
gaseous  stuff  surrounding  them,  has  been  spectro- 
graphically  demonstrated  by  Sir  William  and  Lady 
Huggins,  and  amply  ratified  by  Professors  Frost  and 
Adams.  Surrounding  the  trapezium  is  the  brightest 
part  of  the  nebula.  .  .  .  Emanations  (or  what  seem 
such)  from  .  .  .  [this]  core  stretch  away  in  wide 
curves  to  form  the  outlying  portions  of  the  nebula. 
The  whole  fabric  of  the  nebula  is  concave  towards 
an  axis  passing  through  the  trapezium  in  a  northeast- 
erly and  southwesterly  direction." — "The  System  of 
the  Stars,"  pages  264,  26^. 


17 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

Rolled  Together  as  a  Scroll 

^'F  I  ^HE  heaven  departed  as  a  scroll  when  it  is 
I  rolled  together;  and  every  mountain  and  is- 
'*"  land  were  moved  out  of  their  places.  And 
the  kings  of  the  earth,  and  the  great  men,  and  the 
rich  men,  and  the  chief  captains,  and  the  mighty  men, 
and  every  bondman,  and  every  freeman,  hid  themselves 
in  the  dens  and  in  the  rocks  of  the  mountains ;  and  said 
to  the  mountains  and  rocks.  Fall  on  us,  and  hide  us 
from  the  face  of  Him  that  sitteth  on  the  throne,  and 
from  the  wrath  of  the  Lamb :  for  the  great  day  of  His 
wrath  is  come ;  and  who  shall  be  able  to  stand  ?" 

What  does  this  scripture  mean?  What  is  the  sig- 
nificance of  the  heaven's  being  removed  as  a  scroll 
that  is  rolled  up  ?  Evidently  some  great  change  in  the 
atmosphere  is  indicated.  Another  writer  describes  it 
in  these  terms :  "The  atmosphere  parted  and  rolled 
back."   ("Early  Writings,"  page  41.) 

These  expressions  certainly  convey  the  idea  of  an 
opening  of  the  heavens  to  the  eye  of  man,  not  now 
possible. 
258 


ROLLED  TOGETHER  AS  A  SCROLL  259 

When  we  come  to  consider  the  effect  of  the  atmos- 
phere in  our  view  of  the  starry  heavens,  we  learn  that 
it  is  a  matter  the  astronomers  must  take  careful  ac- 
count of.  There  is  more  or  less  smoke  in  the  atmos- 
phere, or  at  least  floating  particles  of  dust,  which 
obscure  the  sight  to  some  degree.  There  are  also 
strata  of  atmosphere  of  varying  density.  And  all  these 
things  have  their  part  in  preventing  such  a  view  of  the 
stars  as  would  otherwise  be  possible. 

One  who  has  ever  attempted  to  study  the  stars  with 
a  telescope  of  larger  magnitude,  knows  something  of 
the  difficulty  encountered  in  getting  a  proper  view  of 
the  heavens.  One  may  have  to  wait  night  after  night 
for  a  suitable  time,  only  to  be  disappointed.  To  the 
ordinary  observatory,  there  are  comparatively  only  a 
few  nights  in  the  year  suitable  for  the  study  of  as- 
tronomy. Oftentimes  as  one  looks  through  the  eye- 
piece of  the  telescope,  waves  of  light  affected  by  the 
currents  of  air  are  passing  across  the  object  piece  of 
the  telescope,  causing  the  stars  to  dance  in  a  manner 
that  is  disconcerting  and  unsatisfactory.  All  these 
things  go  to  show  that  the  atmosphere  to  a  greater 
or  less  extent  obscures  the  vision  of  the  heavens  which 
otherwise  we  might  obtain.  It  is  on  account  of  the 
difficulties  of  the  atmosphere  that  so  many  astronomi- 
cal observatories  are  located  upon  high  mountains, 
where  the  atmosphere  is  less  dense,  where  it  is  more 
uniform,  where  it  is  less  affected  by  heat  currents  and 
less  obscured  by  the  dust  and  smoke  of  the  cities.  In 
the  dry,  high  air  of  the  mountains,  the  astronomer 
carries  on  his  studies  with  much  less  to  contend  with. 


260  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

A  writer  on  astronomy,  himself  a  trained  observer, 
has  made  the  following  statement  concerning  the  work 
at  one  of  the  mountain  observatories.    He  says : 

"Who  knows  the  meaning  of  the  word  'clear'?  No 
one  is  able  to  understand  what  'clear'  means  if  living 
in  a  valley.  Here  on  Echo  Mountain  the  atmosphere 
is  so  clear  that  the  stars  seem  near  enough  to  touch, 
and  the  mountain  air  wonderfully  pure.  The  stellar 
hosts  glow  with  a  brilliancy  all  unknown  to  those  living 
anywhere  near  sea  level.  At  all  times,  save  imme- 
diately after  copious  rains,  the  dust  envelope  surround- 
ing the  earth  is  visible  beneath  the  summit  of  the 
mountain.  It  covers  the  entire  vista,  even  out  to  the 
sea.  To  us  on  the  mountain  top  it  seems  at  times  as 
if  every  human  would  choke  in  this  layer  of  dust. 

''Above  us  at  night  shine  Sirius  and  Vega  like  huge 
diamonds ;  Arcturus  and  Spica  likewise ;  and  above 
all,  the  giant  star-sun  Canopus,  glittering  with  amaz- 
ing brilliancy  in  the  distant  south,  and  flashing  its  rays 
over  myriads  of  wave  crests  tossing  in  the  Pacific 
Ocean.  This,  the  brightest  star  in  the  celestial  vault, 
cannot  be  seen  from  the  latitude  of  New  York.  The 
magnificent  constellations  of  Orion,  Hercules,  and  the 
Polar  Bear  are  so  beautiful  that  words  are  powerless 
to  describe  them.  It  is  astonishing  to  behold  the  ap- 
parent nearness  of  the  Galaxy.  Mountain  perspective, 
the  purity  of  the  air,  and  freedom  from  water  vapor 
during  two  thirds  of  the  year,  combine  to  form  an 
optical  illusion.  At  times,  this  deceptive  influence  ap- 
proaches a  night  mirage,  and  one  seems  to  be  walking 
among  the  very  stars. 


ROLLED  TOGETHER  AS  A  SCROLL  261 

''Here  the  'witching  hour'  is  at  sunset,  a  sunset  of 
orange  and  flower  laden  plains,  and  watery  wastes  be- 
yond. Round  and  about  the  winter  solstice,  the  solar 
disk  may  be  seen  standing  on  the  sea.  Soon  half 
of  the  mighty  sphere  only  is  visible.  The  last  view 
is  comparable  to  an  arc  light.  Then  one  by  one  the 
first  magnitude  stars  are  seen,  flashing  between  dis- 
tant peaks.  Before  the  last  gleam  of  the  sun  has  van- 
ished, Aldebaran,  Altair,  Rigel,  and  Procyon  illumine 
the  sky.  .  .  . 

"Carpet  a  floor  with  jet-black  velvet,  and  throw 
down  upon  it  a  myriad  of  diamonds  in  wild  confusion, 
and  perhaps  you  may  conceive  how  the  densely  packed 
Milky  Way  appears  from  the  observatory.  'Millions' 
is  a  word  becoming  astronomically  obsolete;  'billions 
of  stars'  is  an  expression  much  more  nearly  true  of 
the  Milky  Way.  Billions  of  suns  appear  in  the  in- 
finite deeps  of  the  Galaxy.  These  constitute  the  ap- 
parent cosmic  floor,  the  base  of  nature,  and  of  the 
stellar  structure.  In  hundreds  of  areas,  there  does  not 
seem  to  be  place  for  more  stars.  Millions  are  finer 
than  the  points  of  needles,  and  these  make  a  pavement 
of  starry  sand. 

"I  never  really  saw  this  sidereal  base  until  with  the 
telescope  up  here.  After  several  days  of  rain,  the  at- 
mosphere is  swept  clear  of  dust.  Then  one  is  really 
within  cosmic  deeps  when  the  telescope  suddenly 
sweeps  over  fathomless  interstellar  chasms,  doors  or 
windows  through  which  one  apparently  looks  into  the 
very  bottom  of  space.  These  areas  are  absolutely 
black.    No  sensation  within  the  entire  range  of  stellar 


262  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

research,  at  the  hour  of  a  mountain  midnight,  is  so 
completely  overpowering  as  the  vision  of  an  abyss  in 
the  stellar  floor.  Round  and  about  these  blackened 
wastes,  there  are  cases  where  the  stars  are  piled  in 
heaps,  raked  into  windrows,  or  strewn  out  into  wisps, 
streamers,  filaments,  and  spray.  Yet  of  all  these 
stellar  hosts,  the  tiniest  point  may  be  a  white-hot  sun, 
and  larger  than  our  little  star  —  the  sun.  The  giant 
nebula  of  Orion  is  a  mass  of  starry  lace,  a  fabric 
loaded  with  glittering  points." 

The  statement  is  made  in  Scripture,  that  one  day, 
this  veil  will  be  drawn  back.  We  cannot  attempt  to 
say  just  how  this  obscuring  veil  is  to  be  removed.  Evi- 
dently enough,  however,  it  will  be  by  the  power  of  the 
Creator.  The  description  is  that  of  something  which 
occurs  with  great  suddenness.  The  heavens  will  be 
rolled  back  "as  a  scroll,"  or,  as  the  writer  quoted  puts 
it,  they  will  be  "parted  and  rolled  back." 

Let  us  use  an  illustration:  Suppose  you  have  a  roll 
of  tough  paper.  This  has  been  rolled  until,  if  stretched 
out,  it  will,  upon  being  released  quickly,  roll  back  into 
its  old  position.  Now  imagine  this  sheet  of  paper  held 
out  flat  by  a  hand  at  each  end.  Imagine  that  as  the 
paper  is  thus  held,  it  is  suddenly  split  through  the 
middle.  We  know  that  the  two  halves  will  quickly 
roll  apart,  leaving  an  opening  between.  This  is  the 
picture  drawn  for  us  by  the  Word  —  a  picture  of  what 
is  to  take  place  on  the  final  day. 

When  God  said,  "Let  there  be  light,"  instantly  there 
was  light.  He  spoke,  and  it  was.  When  the  Lord 
commands  nature,  it  instantly  obeys  Him.     There  is 


ROLLED  TOGETHER  AS  A  SCROLL  263 

no  antagonistic  will ;  there  is  no  opposing  power  from 
within.  It  is  absolutely  obedient;  it  responds  imme- 
diately, obeying  implicitly  the  creative  Word.  And  so, 
when  the  voice  of  God  speaks  with  a  power  that  shakes 
the  heavens  and  the  earth  (Heb.  12:26-28),  the  at- 
mosphere will  undergo  a  change  that  removes  all  its 
veil-like  power,  its  obscuring  curtain  effect,  and  we 
shall  seem  at  once  to  be  brought  closer  to  the  shining 
universe  above  us. 

This  must  mean  a  removal,  by  one  act  of  creation,  of 
everything  in  the  atmosphere  that  interferes  with  sight. 
There  are  vast  quantities  of  watery  vapor  in  the  air 
at  all  times.  These  are  apparently  invisible,  yet  they 
have  their  part  in  obscuring  the  vision.  Water  may 
be  quickly  changed  into  invisible  hydrogen  and  oxygen 
by  the  electrolytic  power  of  electricity.  By  some  un- 
known yet  possibly  analogous  process,  all  the  water  in 
the  atmosphere  may  be  quickly  removed  by  being- 
changed  into  hydrogen  and  oxygen;  or  it  might,  by 
some  process  unknown  to  us,  be  condensed  into  clouds 
and  moved  to  those  portions  of  the  atmosphere  not 
covering  the  inhabited  portions  of  the  globe.  But 
whatever  the  language  under  consideration  may  mean, 
it  certainly  indicates  a  wonderful  clearing  of  the  at- 
mosphere. 

Just  before  a  theatrical  performance  is  to  begin,  the 
curtain  rises.  Sometimes  the  curtain  does  not  rise  at 
the  appointed  hour.  The  orchestra  plays,  but  the  au- 
dience are  not  deceived.  They  know  that  the  per- 
formance will  not  begin  until  the  curtain  rises.  When 
the  curtain  rises,  they  know  that  the  performance  is 


264  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

then  on.  Immediately  the  actors  will  appear,  and  the 
scenes  will  be  portrayed. 

For  six  thousand  years,  this  world  has  been  a  theater 
to  the  universe  and  to  man ;  but  the  last  great  act  in 
the  drama,  at  the  close  of  the  ages,  involves  a  change 
of  scene.  Here  on  earth,  for  thousands  of  years,  men 
have  taken  their  parts  honorably  or  basely,  as  the  case 
may  be.  God  has  kept  silence,  while  men  have  spoken ; 
God  has  remained  invisible,  while  the  things  of  time 
have  been  ever  visible.  But  now  mankind  are  to  be 
brought  in  touch  with  the  great  invisible  forces.  They 
are  to  view,  as  never  before,  the  great  world  hitherto 
unseen ;  they  are  to  view  with  astonishment,  through 
an  open  curtain,  that  which  for  ages  has  been  veiled 
from  their  sight. 

And  so,  in  the  close  of  time,  the  great  curtain  of  the 
skies  will  roll  back.  As  it  does  so,  instinctively  every 
eye  will  look  upward.  Something  portentous  is  about 
to  occur  in  the  heavens.  As  the  atmosphere  parts  and 
rolls  back,  men  will  be  brought,  as  it  were,  into  the 
very  midst  of  the  stars.  Whereas  now  the  light  of 
these  celestial  bodies  shines  to  the  eye  of  man  with 
broken,  uncertain  gleam,  they  will  then  shine  with  a 
strong,  bright  light,  as  the  eye  of  an  avenger.  Every 
star  will  seem  to  come  thousands  of  miles  nearer. 
What  now  seems  far  away,  and  vague  and  uncertain, 
will  then  become  thrillingly  imminent.  Stars  now  ob- 
scured by  the  atmosphere,  and  therefore  invisible  to 
the  eye,  will  shine  out  with  clear  and  steady  rays,  re- 
vealing thousands  of  diamond  points  of  light  where 
now  there  are  none;  and  so  the  great  universe  of  the 


ROLLED  TOGETHER  AS  A  SCROLL  265 

skies  will  seem  all  at  once  to  increase  the  number  of 
its  stars,  to  multiply  them  by  hundreds  and  thousands, 
every  one  nearer,  shining  more  clearly,  shining  more 
steadily,  telling  its  story  in  a  way  that  cannot  be  mis- 
taken. 

High  in  the  heavens  shines  the  great  nebula  of 
Orion.  For  ages  veiled  to  the  eye  of  man  by  the  at- 
mosphere, it  has  looked  like  one  large  milky  star;  but 
then  it  will  be  seen  to  be  a  halo  of  light,  a  shining  spot 
of  glory.  Instead  of  being  confined  to  one  little  spot, 
it  will  be  seen  to  extend  out,  in  filaments  and  wisps 
and  streamers  of  light,  to  other  stars  in  the  Orion 
constellation.  It  will  be  an  awful  sight  for  him  who 
has  reviled  the  idea  of  a  God.  For  him  who  has  lived 
for  years  under  the  curtain  of  nature,  it  will  be  ter- 
rible to  find  this  curtain  suddenly  withdrawn,  and  him- 
self brought  face  to  face  with  the  infinite  riches  and 
glories  of  God's  mighty  universe. 

But  the  curtain  of  the  air  will  not  be  withdrawn  for 
man  to  view  merely  the  stars  and  the  nebulae.  A  scene 
of  far  more,  yea,  of  transcendent  importance  is  about 
to  appear  before  his  astonished  gaze.  Far  away,  yet 
clear  to  the  eyes  of  earth's  inhabitants,  will  appear  the 
sign  of  the  Son  of  man.  At  first,  it  will  seem  no 
larger  than  a  man's  hand.  Dark  it  will  appear  in  con- 
trast with  the  glory  streaming  from  the  heavens;  but 
the  form  will  be  unmistakable.  Every  eye  will  behold 
it  as  the  sign,  the  token,  of  the  Son  of  man.  Christ, 
the  rejected,  yet  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth,  is  com-, 
ing.  He  will  be  emblazoned  with  all  the  glory  of  His 
Father ;  He  is  coming  clothed  in  His  own  transcendent 


266  ASTRONOMY  AND  THE  BIBLE 

beauty;  and  with  Him  will  be  all  the  shining  cohorts 
from  the  courts  of  glory  —  every  angel,  so  that  there 
will  be  silence  in  heaven  as  this  mighty  retinue  sweeps 
down  from  heaven  to  earth. 

It  is  to  enable  mortals  to  behold  this  picture,  that 
God  will  withdraw  the  curtain  of  the  skies.  It  is  that 
man  may  view  unhindered  the  coming  of  the  Son  of 
God.  For  ages,  His  word  has  been  pledged — ''Every 
eye  shall  see  Him;"  and,  true  to  that  word,  every  eye 
will  see  Him. 

As  those  who  have  rejected  Him  behold  the  awful 
sight,  they  will  cry  for  the  rocks  and  the  mountains  to 
fall  on  them  and  hide  them  from  the  wrath  of  the 
Lamb,  "for  the  great  day  of  His  wrath  is  come;  and 
who  shall  be  able  to  stand?" 

Even  those  who  have  accepted  Him,  those  who  have 
lived  for  Him  in  the  earth,  and  have  borne  their  tes- 
timony for  the  cause  of  righteousness,  will  be  startled 
at  that  awful  vision  of  power  and  brightness;  but 
floating  down  to  them  in  advance  of  this  mighty  pro- 
cession from  the  skies  will  come  the  word  of  Christ, 
like  the  notes  of  rarest  music,  ''My  grace  is  sufficient 
for  thee."  Strengthened  by  that  assurance,  fortified 
by  that  power,  they  will  be  able  to  say:  "Therefore 
will  not  we  fear,  though  the  earth  be  removed,  and 
though  the  mountains  be  carried  into  the  midst  of  the 
sea;  though  the  waters  thereof  roar  and  be  troubled, 
though  the  mountains  shake  with  the  swelling  thereof." 
With  a  shout  of  triumph,  they  will  exclaim:  "This  is 
the  Lord ;  we  have  waited  for  Him,  we  will  be  glad  and 
rejoice  in  His  salvation." 


The  Fundamentals  of  Geology 

A  Book  That  Is  Already  Producing  a  Revolution 
in  Scientific  Thinking 

By  George  McCready  Price,  M.  A. 

Author  of  "Q.  E.  D.,  or  New  Light  on  the  Doctrine  of  Creation;" 

"A  Textbook  of  General  Science;"  "Back  to  the  Bible;" 

"Yes  and  No  about  Socialism;"  etc. 

FEW  people  have  ever  studied  geology ;  and  still  fewer  under- 
stand anything  about  it,  though  they  may  be  glib  in  telling 
about  the  strange  monsters  that  lived  in  the  various  geological 
"ages."  But  in  reality,  geology  is  the  grandest  of  all  the  natural 
sciences,  and  is  far  more  important  than  any  of  the  others  in  its 
bearings  on  philosophy  and  religion. 

But  why  is  it  that  modern  geological  discoveries  are  so  out  of 
joint  with  the  standard  geological  theories?  Why  is  it  that  the 
theoretical  part  of  the  science  of  geology  has  never  been  revised 
in  nearly  a  hundred  years?  Why  is  it  that  when  great  areas, 
covering  hundreds  of  square  miles,  are  found  with  the  rocks  all 
in  the  "wrong"  order, — that  is,  with  the  "older"  rocks  above,  and 
the  "younger"  rocks  underneath, — and  with  no  physical  signs  of 
disturbance  anywhere  to  be  seen,  looking  exactly  as  if  they  were 
deposited  in  this  order — why  is  it  that  a  great  English  geologist 
complains  that  if  these  rocks  "had  been  planned  for  the  purpose 
of  deception,  they  could  not  have  been  more  skillfully  devised," 
but  instead  of  revising  his  out-of-date  theories  to  fit  these  new 
facts,  this  illustrious  scientist  declares  that  he  ought  to  "be  ex- 
cused if  he  begins  to  wonder  whether  he  himself  is  not  really 
standing  on  his  head"  ? 

Would  it  not  be  more  scientific  to  revise  the  out-of-date  theo- 
ries of  the  science,  than  to  suppose  that  nature  has  here  worked 
a  "frame-up"  to  deceive  us  ? 

This  book  tells  all  about  these  things ;  and  in  doing  so,  it  lifts 
the  doctrine  of  a  universal  Deluge  out  of  the  obscurity  into  which 
is  has  fallen  for  nearly  a  century,  and  gives  it  once  more  a  re- 
spectable standing  as  the  most  reasonable  hypothesis  by  which  to 
explain  the  facts  of  geology  as  we  now  know  them.  Furthermore, 
it  is  the  only  book  published  in  the  English  or  any  other  language 
which  treats  the  science  of  geology  inductively,  or  according  to 
the  rules  and  methods  already  adopted  in  all  the  other  sciences. 
On  this  account,  this  book  marks  a  turning  point  in  modern 
science  ;  and  soon  the  old,  haphazard,  speculative  theories  of  ge- 
ology must  become  as  much  out  of  date  as  the  theories  of  phlo- 
giston and  the  epicycles  of  Ptolemy. 

"I  do  not  see  why  the  argument  is  not  scientific  and  demonstra- 
tive.    It  seems  to  me  that  you  have  demonstrated  the  hopelessly 
unscientific  character  of  the  hitherto  accepted  geological  notions." 
Prof.  William  Cleaver  Wilkinson, 

University  of  Chicago. 

"I  must  confess  that  I  have  never  read  anything  clearer  and 
more  convincing  on  the  subject.  It  seems  to  me  final,  so  far  as 
the  evolutionary  theories  and  claims  go." 

William  G.  Moorehead, 
Xenia  Theological  Seminary,  Xenia,  Ohio. 

Cloth,  270  pages.     Illustrated  with  engravings,  charts,  and  maps. 
$1.25  Postpaid     (In  Canada.  $1.40) 

PACIFIC  PRESS  PUBLISHING  ASSOCIATION 
MOUNTAIN  VIEW,  CALIFORNIA 


The  World's  Destiny 


By  George  W.  Reaser 


Although  this  is  one  of  the  most  impor- 
tant questions  before  the  human  race,  yet 
but  very  few  give  it  more  than  a  passing 
thought. 


Attractive  three- 
color  cover,  ex- 
cellent illustra- 
tions. 


m 


Paper  bound ; 
price  25  cents, 
postpaid. 
(30c  in  Canada) 


Do  you  know  what  is  to  become  of 
this  old  earth?  Would  you  care 
to  find  out?  Then  read  this  book. 
Already  in  its  third  edition  of 
150,000  copies. 

Not  a  fanciful  story,  but  a  logical  presen- 
tation of  truth.  Prophecy  foretold  the  des- 
tinies of  the  great  world  kingdoms.  It  has 
also  spoken  regarding  this  earth's  destiny. 

History  has  proved  the  prophecies  relat- 
ing to  the  world  kingdoms.  How  about  this 
earth?    Read  ''The  World's  Destiny ^ 


PACIFIC  PRESS  PUBLISHING  ASSN. 
Mountain  View,  California 


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